Her White Knight
by texasgal777
Summary: It has been 3 years in Narnia since the Pevensies left. Caspian is heartbroken after losing Susan, but when Susan is in trouble, he must go on a journey bigger than he ever thought possible to save her. MovieVerse...Suspian. R/R!
1. The Line of Women

**A/n: Ok, so many of you Suspian shippers know me from my story "The Letters" and its sequel, "Poisonous Love". So…I was eating triple peanut butter cup ice cream (SUPER AWESOME ice cream…) one day, and a plot bunny just kind of jumped into my head-hence the story you are about to read. This story was kind of based on a review I got on 'Poisonous Love', asking for a story where Susan was the one who needed saving. So...me and my plot bunnies have banded together, and we all hope that you enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: Ben Barnes is going to come and sweep me off my feet (I don't care if he's 15 years older than me…), and while he's doing that, he's going to give me the copyright for all of these characters. Yeah, that hasn't happened yet. (pouts)**

"Next…" A little man with a massive beard drawled out. He had been standing in the great hall all day saying _next_, and he was starting to go crazy. Not one of the women in line moved. _Why were they not moving?!_

"NEXT!"

Slowly, almost shyly, a young girl, no more than thirteen or fourteen, stepped forward. Her ragged, auburn hair covered her eyes, despite her feeble attempts to tuck it behind her ear. She was nervous.

"Name?" He questioned without looking at her, quill and scroll in his hands.

"S-Sara…daughter of Lehin." The girl managed to stammer. Her dull brown eyes followed the man's hand as he scribbled her name down. Without another word, the little man spun on his heel and started to walk forward.

"Follow me!" He hollered over his shoulder to her, who seemed to be frozen on the spot. After just a moment's hesitation, Sara started to follow him, matching his brisk pace quickly.

He led her through the castle till they got to a pair of heavy oak doors. The craftsmanship on them were simply amazing, leaving little Sara in awe. The carvings that covered the doors told the tale of how the Kings and Queens of old triumphed over Jadis, the White Witch. She was not able to admire the works of art for much longer, though, as the doors slowly began to open. Her head immediately snapped forward, ready for anything and everything.

She found herself staring into a majestic throne room with thirteen black marble thrones. Six were on each side, and one was in the center back. That one was by far the biggest, easily doubling any of the other thrones in size. Also, this one was the only one occupied.

Sitting in the throne was a young man that looked to be in his mid-twenties. His rich, dark hair swept around his face, falling just above his shoulders. His dark eyes sparked, but she could see, deep inside, a sadness to them. He didn't sit in the throne as properly as a king should, but rather, was somewhat strewn across the chair.

The little man ushered her inside, and stopped her when she was within an arm's reach of the throne. He then stepped to her right, and began to talk.

"My King Caspian, I present you with Sara, daughter of Lehin."

Caspian nodded, and then turned his gaze to Sara.

"My dear Sara," his voice thick with the Spanish-Telmarine accent, "might I inquire as to how old you are?"

"I am thirteen, sire."

He smiled warmly at her, but then looked over at the man who had brought the girl in, giving him a slightly annoyed look. All the little man did was shrug.

"So, Sara, what do you think makes you worthy of being queen of Telmar?" The little girl looked down at her feet.

"To be honest, my king, I know not. My father, Lehin, sent me to your palace today. I have nothing to offer you, with the deepest of regret." Caspian was relieved. The girl actually didn't want to be here, so rejecting her would be less of a problem.

"Sara…I have great faith that one day, you will grow up to be an extraordinary young woman. Until then, do the best you can at everything, alright?" She looked back up at him, a smile on her face.

"Of course, my king." He smiled back at her.

"Very good. You may leave us." Caspian said, smiling until Sara left the room. When she was gone, his head dropped into his hands.

"How many times must I tell my council that I do NOT want to marry? My heart is already taken, and I will marry none unless it is the woman who has it. How can a man properly love his wife if he has no heart to love her with?"

"Sire," the little man said, standing up on the low platform that the throne rested on, "We all know that you love Queen Susan. Your heart was forfeit the moment she kissed you. But, it's been three years…you must learn to move on, my king! I miss the gentle queen as much as the next person, but you heard Aslan. She's not coming back. You know as well as I that Aslan intended for you to find your wife on your journey, not to fall in love with a queen of old."

"But I did," Caspian mumbled irritably, "I'm _deeply_ in love with a queen of old. I can never stop loving her, no matter how hard I try. I feel incomplete without her, Larin. Her smile…her laugh…her everything. How I wish…how I wish I could just see her one last time."

Larin smiled sadly, "with all due respect, sire…you might just keep wishing. You know that your council has suggested that you have a queen that you can leave behind if you are ever called into battle…to keep the people unified. This means that you must pick a woman today. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and get you the next girl." He smiled reassuringly, and left the throne room.

Caspian ran his fingers through his hair. "Susan…I love you more than words can describe. Do you know that? I don't want to get married to anyone but you. I want you here beside me, as my queen." He said to the empty room. He closed his eyes, and remembered.

_It was over. The war was won, and he was king. It was after his coronation, and he was saying goodbye to everyone. Trying hard to smile at everyone, he couldn't ignore the little feeling in the back of his head. He had seen Susan sitting in the church, looking as gorgeous as ever, but he couldn't help but notice that when she wasn't smiling at him, she looked sad. He was eager to finish talking with people, so that he could go and find her. _

_He walked swiftly through the castle corridors, his eyes deep with concern. He reached her chambers, and heard the soft sound of her crying. He quietly stepped inside, his heart breaking further for her every passing second. She was standing by her window, hugging herself. He took a giant step toward her, closing the distance between them, and wrapped his arms around her. She sank into his touch._

"_Why are you crying, my queen?" She turned around to face him, her amazing blue eyes swollen. _

"_Because…oh, Caspian…I did exactly what I didn't want to do."_

"_And what is that, my love?"_

"_I fell in love! The last time I got attached to something here, I had to leave it behind, and it broke my heart. I don't want to go through that, Caspian. Not again."_

"Your highness, my I present you with Ethine, daughter of Aaron. I took the liberty of questioning her myself, and she sounds like a mighty fine woman. I think this is the one!" He could feel himself nod.

"_Shh…it's ok. I love you…and we're going to get through this together, alright?"_

"Sire?"

_She said nothing more, but wrapped her arms around him and let him hold her._

He was so wrapped up in the memory; the he didn't even hear himself say, "Fine."

* * *

She was falling. There was no way to stop; no way to go back. The world was a blur of color as it spun around her. She might have been screaming, but if she was, she couldn't hear herself. Her mission was dangerous, and she knew that. But, never in a million years would she think that part of that mission would be her seemingly endless flight.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she could make out the lumpy shape of a valley, full of lush grass. She brought her arms in front of her to break her fall, and landed with a _thud_. She groaned as the pain slowly started to take over the numbness in her forearms.

Gingerly, she rolled over onto her back. Looking up, she saw the midnight sky, dotted with stars. A laugh escaped her-she had made it.

"Scara, my knight, bring her to me. Bring me the one that will stop him."

Scara's mission came back to her in a rush. She stood up, all the feeling coming back to her arms. Looking around at her surroundings, she saw things that she had never seen before in her life. Torches that had no fire, but still glowed brightly in the dark, one or two carriages that had no horses, but went very fast, and roads that were smoother than anything. She then looked down at herself. She was clad in heavy armor and chain mail. On her waist was her sword, held securely by its sheath. The breastplate of her armor was stamped with a solid blue symbol. A giant snake was coiled around a triangle, its massive fangs bared. It was the sign of the Underground.

Her fingers fluttered up to the symbol, her index finger resting on the snake's head.

She walked out of the meadow, and looked for a place to begin. Walking around she saw many stores, all squished together on one street. One sign stood out to her the maost, and it made her snicker. Torin hadn't been lying; he had only been truthful the entire time.

The sign read 'London Pasta and Co.'.

He had been right. She was standing in the town square of London, England. All to do now was to find a house. A professor's house.

"I will bring her to you, Torin. I will not fail."

**From the Author: Ok…I decided to post this now, since Susan/Caspian stories are becoming less popular, really fast. (hehe) So…should I continue? Reviews are very much appreciated, and I hope to be hearing from you all soon! Thanks!**


	2. Dangerous Dances

**Disclaimer: Oh, man! I DON'T OWN ANYONE! Um. Scratch that. I ONLY OWN SCARA!!**

_She stood the armory alone, getting ready for what would be her final battle in Narnia. Her armor was on, her arrow bag slung on her back. She had a small dagger tucked into her leather boots, ready for anything and everything. The only thing that was causing her problems now was her wrist guards. She had tried lacing them up, but it proved to be too much of a difficulty. She was ready to give up, but she was interrupted. 'My queen! Why is it that you stand here alone?' She turned around to see Caspian standing in the doorway of the room, already clad in his armor. As much as she didn't want to admit it, his mere stare was enough to drive her crazy. This man was just much too good for her. 'Oh, Caspian! I'm sure that Peter has spoken on behalf of all of us to you…just call us all by our first names, okay?' He nodded, 'I was just trying to…I was just leaving.' She started to leave, but the prince grabbed her arm. 'You were trying to…what, Susan?' He smiled at her, proud that he had remembered to call her by her first name. She smiled back at him as flirtatiously as she could. This was good. 'I was just trying to get these wrist guards laced up, but I can't. Do you think…do you think that you could help me?' He grinned at her. 'Anything for a Queen in need, I think.' He gently took her hand in his, holding it as if it were made of glass. With a swift move, he had one, and then both of her wrist guards laced. 'Thank you.' He looked up at her, and locked his eyes onto hers. With only a second's hesitation, he answered, 'you're welcome.' He then stood up, and walked out of the room. She was so shocked by the shallowness of the conversation, that she just stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do next. Then, she heard Caspian's voice from the hallway. 'Susan…' he paused, making her scared, 'have I told you that you're beautiful?' More shock. 'Um…no.' Came her response, making her smack herself for how dumb she sounded. 'Oh.' His voice was soft now, almost like he was too embarrassed to continue talking, 'well, you are. No. You're not just beautiful, Susan. You're flawless…undeniably flawless.' Then she heard the sound of his boots going down the rest of the hallway. It was then that Queen Susan the Gentle realized something very important. She was in love. In love with a prince. _

The jeweled barrette just would not stay. She tried once more to pull her chocolaty-brown locks back, but to no avail.

Susan Pevensie sat at her vanity, trying her hardest to dress herself up for her school's annual ball. Peter had talked her into going just a week earlier, but now, she was regretting her decision.

She didn't understand the need to get all dolled up; she had never been very good at it.

"Fine. Don't cooperate with me," she talked aimlessly to her limp hair.

She stood up from the bench and walked over to her closet. Surveying the mass of school uniforms and other articles of clothing, she realized with a sense of self pity that she only had one gown that was formal enough. It was a nice dress, but she still didn't want to wear it.

She sighed, and slid it of its hanger. Walking over to her bed, Susan wondered why she was doing this. For heavens sake, she had been called _undeniably flawless _by a king that would certainly be her undoing. At least she was beautiful in somebody's eyes.

_Somebody. _The king. The one whose face had kept coming to her in her dreams for the past year; the one who she couldn't stop thinking about; the one who made her long for him to hold her one last time…the one who had probably forgot about her and moved on.

One lonely tear fell down her face, smudging the makeup that she had just spent hours on. She brushed it away promptly, wanting to keep crying, but not wanting to ruin any more of her work.

"Dammit, Caspian! I love you…but please, just leave me alone. It hurts enough to know that I'll never be able to be with you. But promise me; _promise me_,that you'll never forget me…because I'll never be able to stop thinking about you."

She couldn't get over how stupid she sounded. Not only was she talking to thin air, but the man that she was trying to talk to was probably happily married, and had probably forgotten about the silly little girl from which her horn had brought.

She slid the dress on, and looked at herself in the mirror. The salmon colored gown covered her feet, making her look elongated. To anyone else, she looked gorgeous. But to her, she looked like the salmon itself.

* * *

Scara was in an abandoned warehouse. She was usually used to better, being her master's right hand woman and all, but this would work for the time being. After all, it wasn't squeaky clean work that she would be doing while in the human world. She emptied the contents of her carryon bag onto a crate. All that was in it was wrapped bottles of different potion, and a flyer. Disregarding the bottles, she took the flyer up in her hands.

She grinned to herself. Torin really had been easy on her. He had sent her right when a perfect event would be held, so that she could kidnap Susan easier. This was where she would capture the "bait."

**THE BOYS AND GIRLS ACADEMY OF LONDON**

**ANNUAL BALL**

**FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10****th****, 1942**

**DOORS OPEN AT 8:00pm.**

Crumpling the flyer up, and tossing it to the ground, Scara turned back to her bottles. Dusting her fingers over the labels on the potion bottles, she found what she was looking for. Holding the full vial in the sunlight, the potion turned a pink color.

Eying the bottle, she hoped the spell would work. She remembered Torin saying that it was a permanent spell, and that whatever came out of the bottle couldn't be destroyed.

"Here goes nothing," she said, pulling her long, silver hair back, "Let's hope this works in my favor, Torin. To the underground." She brought the bottle to her lips, but, instead of drinking the potion, she whispered: '_A vestio vos vadum fio'._

She then turned the bottle upside down, and let the potion spill onto the floor. It hit the ground with a hiss. For a moment, it sat on the floor and did nothing, but in a short time, golden sparks began to surround it, and shoot up into the air. The pink liquid then rose up into the air, and began to do its work. The skirt came first, long and full; then the bodice, corset-like and tight. The sleeves came last, finishing the creation off. When the golden sparks died off, Scara was left with a beautiful, royal blue, ball gown.

She shed her armor and tossed it in the corner. Practically throwing the gown on, she tested to see if Torin was right. She took the dagger from her boot, and lifted the skirt of the dress. Carefully positioning the knife, she slit the wide silk skirt. Walking into the sunlight, she examined what she had just done. There was a definite rip on the skirt, but to her amazement, it soon started to go away. She watched in awe as the threads repaired themselves, fixing the rip wonderfully. Torin was right…the dress was indestructible. She tied her hair up, and secured her dagger to her thigh with a strip of leather.

She was ready.

* * *

Peter was driving, Susan sitting in the front seat. He was dressed in a dashing tuxedo, a blue boutonniere protruding from his jacket. 'At least he looks nice…' Susan kept thinking to herself on the ride to the academy. She was in a foul mood, considering that she didn't even want to be going to this dance.

"Peter, do you ever…do you ever wonder if we could get back?" She said, totally out of the blue. He looked over at her.

"Get back? Su…what are you talking about?"

"To Narnia. What else would I be talking about?"

"Oh. No, no I don't. I think that when Aslan sent us back home, he knew what he was doing. He knew that we were no longer needed, that it was Caspian's time of glory…not ours." He noticed that Susan winced slightly when he said the prince's name. She really did love and miss him.

"I know…but don't you think that he would let us stay a bit longer? It would have no affect on us here…no time would have passed. I mean…I could have gotten married!"

"Married? To whom?" She looked at him coldly.

"To him. You knew that."

"Sorry."

The two didn't talk the rest of the ride to the academy.

* * *

The band was so loud that Scara was sure that she wouldn't be able to hear for the rest of the night. Not that she cared-she had a mission to complete. She went over to the table with the punch bowl, and watched as a tall, lanky guy poured hard liquor into it. Instead of just watching for a little while longer, she confronted the kid, took the bottle from his hands, and took a huge swig from it. Being the only female knight, she was used to having drinking contests with the men on her team.

The guy watched in amazement as she continued to down the bottle, and continued to watch as she walked away from him on five inch heels without falling over. She was so used to drinking ungodly amounts of liquor, that the swig from the bottle had little affect on her.

Susan entered the dance and was immediately overwhelmed. She had only been to one other dance in her life, and had left early. Peter had gone off, and she was left alone in the blasting music, the drunken people, and the dancing. She had never felt so alone in her life. Now, she would really have enjoyed being with Caspian.

She had spotted her. Scara urgently weaved herself through the tremendous crowd of people, practically knocking over anyone who dared to stand in her way. But, unfortunately, the guy who had spiked the punch bowl, now totally drunk, came over to her, and slung himself over her, slowing her down. She didn't have the time of the patience to be dealing with people like him at the moment, so with one quick movement, she flipped him onto the floor, left him there, and carried on.

Susan was standing by the doors, somewhat dancing, somewhat standing. She was about ready to go, but then, there was someone behind her. A woman's voice spoke to her.

"Queen Susan," Susan started to worry. No one knew her as Queen Susan besides her family and the…Narnians… "I'm here to tell you that your…service is needed. I'm afraid that you're going to have to come with me." Of course she was going to object to whoever this was, but that was before she felt the tip of a dagger on her back.

**Note from the Author: Hey! Sorry I've kinda disappeared from the face of the planet for the past 2 months, but I'M BACK! So…I survived my first week of high school as a Freshman, and I went to my first homecoming game and dance. (Busy, busy!!) Um…I'm really sorry for the shortness of these chapters, but I'm trying to get them done faster. Hope you all enjoy chapter 2! Oh…and loooots of reviews, please! (smile)**


	3. Questions and Weddings

**Disclaimer: Oh, jeez. Come on guys, you know this! But…I'll say it anywho. I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS. (With the acceptation of Scara)**

"So, then she said WE'RE THROUGH! And I was like, I don't give a damn, Veronica! You treat me like dirt, so why should I be upset about this?" John said, slinging his limp arm over the shoulder of a pretty blonde.

Peter was standing in a circle of drunken guys with their girlfriends', and in this case, John's new girlfriend. These were his friends, but even he had never seen them so out of it.

He was about to go find some other people to hang around, but stopped himself when he saw Susan walking-rather stiffly- over to him. He noticed that another girl was following close behind her…a little too close.

"Hey, Su. How do you like your first dance?"

"Actually, this is my second dance, thank you very much!" Scara jabbed the knife a little deeper into Susan's back, resulting in a sharp intake of breath from her victim, "Um…I'm gonna go h-home, okay?"

"Why? Don't you like the dance?"

"No…it…it's not that. I'm just tired."

"Are you sure?" She didn't respond, but just gave him a stiff nod.

"Ok…ok, then. See you at home?"

"Yeah."

She smiled half heartedly at him, and then walked past him towards the doors. Something, a big brother instinct perhaps, told him that he should be concerned for his sister. But, he brushed it off, and went to go and find some other people to talk with.

Little did he know that his sister was in deep trouble, and it was the last time that he would see her for a very long time.

* * *

"Where are you taking me?" Susan questioned, wincing. The dagger point still poking into her back had drawn blood already-she had felt the first hot bead roll down her back at least fifteen minutes ago…and they had just kept on coming.

She got no response from the woman kidnapping her, and they kept on walking.

"How do you know that I…that I'm Queen Susan? Are you from Narnia?"

Still, no answer. They kept on walking, and Susan kept on getting more frightened and impatient. Finally, after another ten minutes of walking in complete silence, she snapped, and stopped walking.

"Ok. Listen to me. I don't know who you are, who sent you, or how you know me. I'm being kidnapped for goodness sakes! The least you could tell me is where we're going…and your name." For the first time since this woman confronted her this evening, the dagger left her back. The woman circled around her, and stopped when she was face to face with Susan.

"My name is Scara. I am here because I need your help."

"What if I don't want…?" Susan began, but Scar cut her off.

"Whether you want to give it to me or not, you will. See, I believe you know someone by the name of Caspian the Tenth, do you not?"

Susan literally choked on the air around her. Caspian. The man she loved with her heart and soul…what did he have to do with anything?

"I might have known him…at one point."

"You _might _have known him? Because he sure as hell knows you-you and your family. Speaking of which, I suppose that was 'high king' Peter that you were talking with in there…with all those drunks?"

"Yes."

"Some king he must have been, I can only imagine," Susan made a point to glare at her for that statement, "But, that's beside the point. I need you, because I need decent leverage for the good king."

"Leverage for what?"

"I've already said too much, and we're wasting time." Scara circled back around to place the tip of her knife where it had been earlier, but Susan fought it. Unfortunately, the knight was stronger than she, and she ended up with the knife against her neck instead of in her back.

"Ah…it appears that I forgot to mention that I am a knight-the commander in chief of the Underground army. If you wish to resist me, do so by all means, but know that you would be dead within five minutes. Now, you can cooperate, or you can fight me. Your choice." She whispered into Susan's ear.

"You will be punished for this!" The gentle queen hissed back at her kidnapper as she began to walk. The knife left her neck, and was in her back again. She heard Scara laugh and say, "that's what they all say, isn't it?"

"Wait…you never told me where we were going." Susan pointed out as the tip of the knife prodded her along.

"Ha!" Scara laughed wickedly, "So I didn't. We are going to where you are staying right now-a professor's house, I believe-so you can get a few things for your long journey ahead of you, and then, we will be going to a place where no one can find you. Not even the royals of old." With that, they continued walking. Susan, who was incredibly frightened, reached out with her thoughts to one lion that she called king.

_Aslan…oh, Aslan, please help me! I need you right now…I'm being kidnapped by a woman who works against Caspian…I need your help! Please…send anyone…anything…_

* * *

A Narnian sun shone brightly through the open windows of Caspian's palace. It gave the workers hired for the king's wedding good lighting to decorate the king's enormous garden; where the wedding would be held.

Caspian watched his workers go to town decorating from his balcony on the north side of the castle. He was the only person who was truly unhappy about today, and his decision to marry Ethine.

_For goodness sakes…I didn't even decide! I might have said yes…but I was…I was with her-the one that __should__ be in Ethine's place today. Susan. _

He was angry with himself more than anyone. He should have been more careful, and not immersed himself so deeply in love for gentle queen, and then none of this would have to happen. But then, he was pleased with himself for falling in love with her, too. She was a fine young woman, one that any sensible man would marry. But she was making his life miserable! But she made him complete. But she couldn't come back! But love sustains.

He groaned, putting his elbows on the balcony railing and his hands on his temples. His conscience battling with itself was most certainly not helping the situation in the slightest.

After cooling his brain down from arguing with itself, he walked back into his chambers, and prepared to see Ethine walk down the isle, listen to the words and the vows that would bind him to her, and only her, for the rest of his mortal life, and then, kiss her.

He stood, looking at his reflection in his full length mirror. He was wearing a navy blue overcoat with a white blouse underneath, black legging-type-things that he tucked into black boots. He ran is fingers through his dark hair, and decided that it would have to do.

He had at least half an hour before he became a husband. To a woman he had no desire to marry. He sighed, and flopped himself onto his huge bed, his legs hanging off. He then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"_It never would have worked out, anyway."_

"_Why not?_

"_I __am__ 1300 years older than you…" She told him as they were saying their goodbyes._

_He laughed at her comment, but to hear her say that they wouldn't 'work out' because of an age difference ripped him apart inside. She smiled sadly at him, and then began to walk away from him. He couldn't believe this. She was going to leave him forever, taking his heart with her, and her parting words to him were that of: we 'never would have worked out'? How did that work?_

_She paused when she had gotten about three feet away from him, then turned around, and walked back towards him. What happened next, he wasn't ready for, but he felt a sense of accomplishment. _

_She kissed him softly, sending his brain into overload. He knew that, from that moment on, he would never love anyone more than the woman he had wrapped around him right now. Her lips broke away from his, and already he felt himself starving for more. _

"_I'm sorry…I had to…" She whispered to him, and began to walk away once more, but he captured her in a tight embrace._

"_No regrets?" She asked him, muffled by his shoulder._

"_None." He could feel her nod against him._

"_I don't want to leave you." She said, her voice breaking._

"_You won't…I will always be with you…and you will be with me." He received another nod, and she let go of him. Before she walked away again, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead, and let her join her family. _

_He watched in heartbreak as the Pevensie family walked through the great hole in the tree, Susan the last in line. As soon as her other siblings had gone through, she paused, turned around, and ran back into Caspian's arms, crashing her lips back on his. In the distance, she could hear the people in the crowd cheering, as Caspian lifted her from the ground, her lips locked with his the entire time. Finally, she was brought back to the ground by Caspian, who gave her one last hug. She ran back to the hole in the tree, passing Aslan, who just smiled a sad smile that said 'I knew you were going to do that.' She smiled back at him, and disappeared. And that was the last time he ever saw the Gentle Queen._

He was woken by someone shaking him.

"King Caspian! King Caspian! It's time to go!"

He groaned loudly, and made himself sit up. He fixed his slightly rumpled hair, straightened his clothes, and prepared to go to the wedding he had been dreading for a long while now-his own.

* * *

The garden was beautiful. Caspian had watched his 'lover' come out of the open walled hallway with the second pair of doors that told the story of the kings and queens of old. He had watched her walk down the isle with her father, both of them beaming brighter than the sun. He felt guilty in a way. He knew that Ethine loved him…but he couldn't love her. Now, he was standing at the altar with a priest and Ethine, listening to the words that were selling him into what he considered was the only legal form of slavery. Choosing to ignore the priest ramble on, he looked around in the crowd. There were telmarines, narnians, and some of Ethine's family sitting in the rows of benches lined together. There was one person-animal-that he didn't see there, though…the high king Aslan.

_I suppose that's a good thing…he would know that I would rather be dead than here right now…_he thought, looking around for other things to distract him.

Eventually, the service began to come to an end, and then, the priest began to say the words that he only wanted to hear in regards to Susan: "You may kiss…"

Suddenly, there was a great _BANG!_ Caspian looked up to see that the doors leading inside the castle had opened, and Aslan bounding toward him and his bride. The expression on the lion's face was hard to read, but Caspian thought that he saw a hint of worry in his eyes. Aslan slowed, and approached Caspian, who bowed low.

"My king…what an honor it is to see you."

"I'm very sorry Caspian, but I'm afraid that we have no time to talk, and that you and I and…Reepicheep," he said, his amber eyes scanning the crowd, "we need to leave right now. There's been a horrible incident…we must hurry-Susan's life might depend on it."

**From the Author: HEYYYY! So, I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in like…forever. I just got done with finals, and now I'm on thanksgiving break. So. How did ya'll like this chapter? I'm not sure if I like it very much myself, so it's ok if you don't. =) Sorry it's short (like all the gosh darn others) but…it's here. OH! FYI, the updates and the Coffee Table discussions are updated on my profile! I posted a link for a banner that I made for this story, and I hope ya'll like it! So…you know what I'm going to say…read, and REVIEW!!!**

**Hope you all have a safe and great thanksgiving!**


	4. Revelations

**Disclaimer: All I want for Christmas is to own these characters, to own these characters, just to own these characters… (Sung to 'All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth')**

"What do you mean, _it's locked_???"

Scara, the captain of the Underground's army, stood not in a weapons room full of sharp objects, but on the porch of a house. Only this time, she was not alone, but accompanied by her captive, Susan Pevensie. They were standing on the porch of the professor's huge house, facing the large cedar doors that led into the foyer of the mansion.

"I mean that it's not going to open." Susan said shortly.

"Why…is it locked?" the female knight asked, trying to keep her tone even.

"Because the professor is on a month long study in Spain. That's why."

"Then how," Scara managed, her patience slipping through her fingers, "were you planning…ON GETTING INSIDE?" She screamed at the gentle queen standing next to her, who took a step back in fright.

"With the key." Susan replied, trying to pull her strings of courage together faster than they would allow.

"And where is this…key?" The knight questioned icily, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose.

Unfortunately, Susan's nervousness got the best of her, resulting in something very, very rash.

"Oh, let me think…wait! I forget. Silly, silly me."

Scara had heard enough. With just enough force to hurt (a lot), she slapped the gentle queen across her face. Poor Susan gasped in pain as her captor's hand made contact with her face, and was now holding her redden cheek.

"I told you once before. If you wish to defy me, then please, do so. But, as you have just experienced," Scara explained coldly, while intently eyeing the front of the house, "I can, and I will, show people the consequences of their actions. So. What will it be, Queen Susan? Will you cooperate with me, or will I have to kill you right where you stand?"

"I'll cooperate," Susan began slowly, "until my better judgment tells me otherwise."

"Good. And, if it makes you feel any better about 'forgetting where the key is', I've found another way in."

"And…what might that be?" the queen asked, scared.

"You'll see. But, before we get started, I have just one question," Susan looked at her in panic, "About how valuable is this house?"

"Well…it is one of the nicest houses around here, so I would imagine that it's very valuable." Susan replied to the knight's question truthfully, although she didn't know how this was even relevant.

"Good!" Scara exclaimed cheerfully. With that, she backed up on the porch to the nearest window. For while talking with Susan and looking at the house at the same time, she had found that the magnificent stained glass windows that surrounded the house were fine for holding up against mother nature, but not human force.

With a devilish smirk on her face the whole time, and keeping a watchful eye on her captive, she rammed her elbow into the large stained glass window on her right.

Susan watched in horror as the window shattered into thousands of pieces. This wasn't like two years ago, when Edmund had hit a ball through the third floor window, leaving just a small hole in the glass. No, this time, the entire window was completely blown out.

"_What are you doing?"_ she asked the knight shrilly, as she stooped down to pick up a larger shard of glass. The colors in the glass were still prominent, but, it could only be beautiful when it was with the others. It broke her heart to see such craftsmanship go to waste.

"_We're _going inside. Come on, get through the window."

Susan gaped at her. "Are you insane? There are still pieces of glass on the frame that we could both get cut on!"

"Are you serious? I thought that you said that you were going to cooperate with me! Trust me, Queen Susan; there are far worse things than getting cut by little shards of glass…for instance, what would happen to you if you don't get through this window rather quickly. So, I suggest you move."

Out of fright, Susan obeyed Scara, and managed to get through the window with only a single piece of glass in her foot. Scara, who obviously had some previous experience with these kinds of things, got through the window unharmed.

Then, to the great displeasure of the gentle queen, the knife made another appearance, once again piercing the flesh of her lower back.

"Why do you continue to use that knife, Scara? I can't go anywhere!"

"Just being cautious. Now, where is your room?"

"The…the third floor."

"Well then," Scara said, pushing her captive forward with the tip of her knife, "it looks like we have some more walking to do."

* * *

Caspian was practically jogging down the corridors of his castle, trying to keep up with the lion in front of him. Reepicheep, whom Aslan had pulled out of the king's wedding as well, sat on Caspian's left shoulder.

"Sire, do you really think that it's appropriate for me, a servant, to be sitting myself on your royal shoulder?" the mouse asked, the red feather on his head bouncing with Caspian's long strides.

"With all due respect, Reepicheep, I think that this is the only way that you would be able to keep up."

"No offense taken, your grace," Reepicheep said happily.

Soon, the king and the mouse on his shoulder came to a four way break in the corridor. To Caspian's great distress, Aslan was in none of them. He was about to give up, and run back to retrace his steps, but a voice to his right stopped him.

"Over here, King Caspian."

He turned to see the great lion standing in the rightmost corridor, where he hadn't been standing twenty seconds earlier. He briskly walked over to Aslan, who was staring at the white marble wall. He stood next to the lion, while Reepicheep climbed down his arm and onto the ground beside Aslan.

"My king, if I might ask…what happened to her?" Caspian asked the question whose answer his heart begged to hear.

Aslan sighed, taking his eyes off of the wall.

"She called out to me with her thoughts," he said worriedly, "she sounded very…distraught and scared. I could feel it while she talked to me. She said that she was being kidnapped by someone who worked against you, Caspian. Do you have any idea who that might be?"

The Telmarine king thought about it for a while, and then the answer struck him like a lightning bolt. He put his face into his hands, and sighed deeply.

"The only people," he began painfully, "the only group people that I know of that hate me and my court are the Underground."

"What have you heard of them, Caspian?" Aslan asked, gently encouraging him to continue.

"They are a vicious group of people, always plotting and scheming. They have but one leader who has evaded guards and police for some time now. He goes by the name of Torin."

"Then you think that he is the one that kidnapped Susan?" The lion asked, curious.

"Well…even for someone like him, that _is_ a bit risky. I think that they want to start an uprising, and they captured Susan because…because…"

"Because she's the most important thing to you in your world, or hers." Aslan finished Caspian's sentence for him.

"Yes. Yes she is. But, as I was saying," Caspian said, trying to focus, "I don't think Torin would go after her. If I'm right, and they do want to start an uprising, then the members of the Underground would most certainly need a leader. Torin would most likely stay behind with his troops, and send someone else out to get her. Someone that he had the uttermost faith and trust in."

"Who would that be?"

"I don't know, sire. I don't know."

"If it's of any help," Reepicheep piped up for the first time in the conversation, "many of my men who have had dealings with the Underground in the past say that they are led by someone all the time. They say that it is a knight. But it it's no ordinary knight, mind you! They say that this knight is a woman; A woman with long, silver hair, who is as good with a bow and arrow as a sword, and is poisonously beautiful. According to my men, you DO NOT want to challenge this woman. She goes by the name of…oh dear. Her name is…sc…sc…" The mouse tried to remember the knight's name, but to no avail.

It was only when Caspian ran to the royal library and pulled the most recent scroll of Telmarine urban legends, that they learned her true identity.

"The Underground, a group that has been forming ever since the beginning of the reign of Miraz, either works for or against the person(s) sitting on the Telmarine throne. In the case of Miraz, he earned the favor of the Underground, making his reign long. But, in the case of his nephew, Caspian X, the Underground has not been so kind.

"They are led by their leader, Torin, who formed the Underground when he was only twenty-six years of age.

Though a wonderful leader, Torin cannot possibly do all the deeds needed to be done by the Underground all by himself. This is where his right hand man, or in this case, right hand woman, comes in.

The beautiful, but deadly, Scara Leon, is the commander of the Underground's army. As a trained knight, people say that Scara can kill anyone she pleases with anything she pleases. It is said that she always has a dagger on her person, but it is no ordinary knife. It is believed that the silver blade of her knife is made from the melted staff of Jadis, the white witch, from thousand's of years past. Some say that the dagger possesses magic abilities, enabling Scara to give the most slow and painful death known to man."

As Caspian finished reading the scroll, he looked at Aslan, worry painted in every crevice of his face.

"It's Scara. She's the one who kidnapped Susan. She can kill her in the blink of an eye, my king! What…what shall we do?"

For the first time since he met Aslan, Caspian noticed a small tear fall from the lion's soft, amber eyes.

"She is my child, Caspian. If we don't save her, then…I don't think I could ever forgive myself. We need to move."

* * *

Susan was standing at her bed, folding three changes of clothes, and putting them into a small, drawstring bag. Scara was leaning against her door, cleaning her knife.

"Come along now, we don't have till the sky falls!" The knight called to Susan irritably.

"Have you ever even folded your own clothes, Scara?" The gentle queen snapped back at her captor, and immediately knew that it was the wrong thing to say.

Scara smirked at her, and got up off of the door. She walked over to Susan, and pushed her over so hard that the queen ended up banging her shoulder against the corner of her dresser. Crying out in pain, she fell to the floor, and held her shoulder with her left hand.

"I'm sorry that I have to do this, Queen Susan. I really am."

"No…no you're not." Susan whimpered as she shook in pain.

"No, I'm not. Now. Take your hand off of it, and let me see." Scara said, knowing that she had to maintain some sort of boundaries, in order for this to work.

"NO! I don't even want to know what you would do to it. You could poison me for all you care!"

"Ok. First off, I have no poison on me; all of my potions are where we'll be going later. Second, I wouldn't dream of killing you…ok. Yes, I would. But, I can't-I'm forbidden to do anything but mildly torture you. Now. Let me see it."

Susan reluctantly pulled her hand away and gasped at what she saw. A deep gash the length of her arm was the sight that greeted her, hot beads of blood rolling onto the wood floor of her room. Scara knew what to do. Cutting a strip off of her dress that she was wearing quickly, so that the spell she put on it wouldn't have a chance to kick in, she wrapped Susan's arm tightly, and then pulled her up.

"Do you have all of your things packed?" the knight asked, more irritably than before.

"Yes." Susan replied stiffly.

"Then," Scara said, putting her knife back into its holder, "It's time to go to our final location in your world."

Much to her delight, Susan didn't feel the point of the dagger in her back. But, just as she thought of that, she noticed that Scara had taken a long ribbon from her drawer and tied it very tightly around her hands. She sighed, and walked as the knight pushed her out her bedroom door.

_The final location in my world? _Susan thought as Scara opened the door to the outside.

_Oh no…where is she taking me? Aslan…oh Aslan, HELP!_

**From the Author: Hey! Happy holidays! Um…I don't have very much talk time right now, so…how did everyone like chapter 4? It was brutal, I know. :) Things might get better…hehe. So…read, and PALEEEEZE review! **

**Merry Christmas!**


	5. Suits, C4, and a Really Big Hole

**Disclaimer: ...alrighty. I. Do. NOT. Own. ANY. Of. These. Characters. Happy? :) (I actually don't own any of the characters that I haven't created. And created characters...you know who you are.)**

The blood red sun had finally slipped under the horizon, allowing the Mistress Moon to take over the skies, and wrap them in a soft glow. Fireflies of all different colors bounced around in the night air, and the angel doves sang their beautiful love song to the world. Amongst the quiet Narnian nighttime, a bright gleam of light sparkled from the massive castle to the north.

Caspian stood on his balcony again, his crown reflecting the light of the luminous moon. He had been standing there for a while, completely lost in thought. Occasionally, he would surface from his scrambled thoughts, and look around at his kingdom, which was taken over by sleep. He knew that there should be something soothing about the night, a time for relaxing, a time of no stress...Unfortunately he didn't feel soothed at all. His mind was restless and nervous, and he had to wait another hour before he could do anything about it.

He was so lost in his thoughts, that a knock on his bedroom door scared him so much that he jumped back from the balcony, and stumbled over to his door. Once he finally caught his breath, he placed his hand on the large gold doorknob, and opened the door slightly.

"Who is it?"

"It is I, Glenstorm. I bring word from his imperial majesty, king Aslan."  
"Good. Come in."

Caspian opened the door the rest of the way, to behold the magnificent centaur. Glenstorm walked into the royal chambers, a small candle glowing in his dark hand. He walked around a bit, and then turned to look at his king with a confused look.

"Why does his majesty stay awake with no light?"

Before Caspian had any time to answer his guest, the centaur had taken the candle that he had been holding, and lit a torch that hung on the stone wall. He then took that torch, and lit the other three like it around the room. Caspian's bed chambers were suddenly illuminated with a soft amber glow that seemed to warm him inside and out.

"Thank you, Glenstorm. Now...what is this that my King Aslan sent you for?" Caspian asked, sitting down on his bed. Now that he could see everything, including Glenstorm, he noticed that the centaur was holding something, but he couldn't tell what it was. Glenstorm noticed his king's gaze, and went to put what he was holding on Caspian's bed.

"King Aslan has told me to tell you that the time is near, and that you need these," he gestured to the things on the bed, "he said to meet him on horseback at the drawbridge when the moon is directly above the castle."

Caspian nodded his head, and looked down at the pile on his bed. Carefully, he dismantled the neatly folded...clothes.

Confusion overwhelmed him.

"Glenstorm," Caspian began, holding up what seemed to be a jacket, "What is this?"

"I know not. This is what my lord Aslan has given to me. He said that you needed these in order for his plan to work. I think that it would be wise to not question him."

"It is indeed wise," the young king stated dully, as he unfolded the rest of the articles of clothing.

When everything was unfolded, and laid out on the floor, the king and the centaur both examined them. There was a white dress shirt, similar to the ones that Caspian owned-but slightly less poofy, a black blazer to go on top of the dress shirt, a black tie, black dress pants, and strange looking, shiny, shoes. Caspian had never seen anything like these clothes, and he was now more confused than ever.

"What does he want me to do with these?"

"Perhaps my lord should put them on?" the centaur said, beginning to walk out the door.

"Right. Would you be so kind as to stay outside the room, Glenstorm?"

"Of course, your highness."

Glenstorm quietly slipped out of the chambers, leaving Caspian with the clothes. He sighed, and picked up the white shirt.

"I certainly hope that you know what you're doing, Aslan," he muttered softly as he took off his shirt_**.**_

* * *

_The hot white sand glittered in the light of the afternoon sun, which was pulled high in the sky. The waves of the Eastern Ocean crashed on soaked rocks, while the tall green trees rustled in the warm wind. A beautiful young woman walked the coast, her eyes taking in the beauty around her. The tips of her white dress were drenched with seawater, but she didn't mind, as she continued to walk the coastline. She, Susan Pevensie, found herself back on the island where her second journey to Narnia had began. _

_Looking to her left, the majestic ruins of her home, castle Cair Paravel, stood, covered in greenery. Looking at her former palace, she suddenly felt the urge to return to it. Hiking up the skirt of her dress, she ran from the coast all the way to the moss covered stone steps of her palace. She walked up the steps, and turned right, into the abandoned throne room. It saddened her deeply that the Telmarines had destroyed her home...her palace. She walked to the four blocks of stone that used to be her and her siblings' thrones, and placed her hand on her own._

_"I'm sorry, Susan. I tried to tell him not to destroy it...but he would not listen to me-I was but a small child." _

_A voice, heavily laced with a beautiful Spanish accent, came from behind one of the few standing columns left. Her heart fluttered. She turned around from where she stood, and looked to see where the voice had come from._

_"Caspian?" She called to, what seemed to be, an empty ruin. She wasn't sure whether she had actually heard him, or whether she was delirious._

_"I'm over here, Susan." She turned around again, and saw him. He was standing near her crumbled throne, holding his outstretched arms to her. She could feel the huge smile come across her face as she ran to him. When she finally reached him, she gave him such a hug that he nearly fell over. _

_"What are you doing here?" She asked, taking his hand in hers. _

_"I saw you here. This must have been such an amazing place to live."_

_"Oh, yes...I miss living here so much."_

_"Maybe one day we can rebuild it..." he began, but then stopped as he looked over her shoulder, "Susan, get behind me."_

_"Caspian?" _

_"Do you hear something?"_

_Susan listened. After a moment, she began to hear a soft rustling, like someone stepping through the trees. The two of them waited for a few more minutes, until Caspian drew his sword. _

_"Whatever happens, love, stay with me. I can't let anything happen to you."_

_"Alright...but be careful."_

_Suddenly, they saw what they had begun hearing minutes earlier. Scara appeared, standing on top of a large piece of rock, grinning __maliciously. Caspian stood his ground, his sword glimmering brightly in the sun. Scara just laughed, and pulled from her cloak, a loaded crossbow. _

_"Susan," Caspian said, so lowly that he was barely audible, "when I tell you to, I want you to run as fast as you can to a place where she can't find you. I'll take care of her."_

_"Caspian, I can't leave you! She'll kill you!"_

_"Do not worry...things will turn out. Now, GO!"_

_Susan gave him a look that clearly demanded that he be careful, and then ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She ended up finding an old trap door that was still intact, and hid there, keeping the door slightly ajar so that she could see what was going on. Scara began to fire arrows nonstop, taking only a few seconds to reload the bow after each shot. Caspian was able to deflect the arrows with a sharp swing of his sword, and was able to learn Scara's firing patterns. He decided, that after she shot the next arrow, that he would rush at her, and hopefully, strike her with his sword. The arrow was fired, and Caspian ran at her. Scara seemed to know what he was planning, and was able to load her next arrow quicker than she had ever done before, and fired. The arrow whizzed through the air with a sickening speed, and hit Caspian right in the chest._

_"NO!" Susan screamed from her hiding place, crawled out of the space as fast as she could, and ran to Caspian's side. His breaths were coming in short, ragged rasps, and his strength failing rapidly. _

_"Caspian...no...please...please, no!" She cried, gently holding his face with her hands._

_"Susan...go...go!" He commanded, using the last of his strength to give her hand a firm squeeze._

_But, Susan couldn't move. She was overcome by sobs. In the background, she could hear the soft footsteps of Scara coming towards her. She heard the bow load, and then...darkness._

"CASPIAN!" She screamed, waking up from her nightmare.

She then heard a laugh, very similar to the one she had heard in her dream.

"Have a bad dream, did we?" Scara snickered, walking in front of her.

"Yes...yes," she looked around her...new surroundings, "Scara...where am I?" She was sitting on a cold cement floor, a wooden pole behind her back. She tried to move her hands, but to her great dismay, she found her hands bound behind her back, around the pole.

"Ah...yes. Sorry about your current...predicament. I can't risk you running away and such," she said, putting a slightly forced smile on her face, "anyway, you are currently _here_. If that answers your question."

"Actually, it doesn't."

"Well," the knight said, turning her back to her captive, "you must get used to disappointment."

"Alright," Susan said, trying to move a hair that was in her face, by swinging her head around, "can you at least tell me how I even got here? I don't remember..." Scara turned around to look at her, a wicked grin the prominent feature on her face.

"You don't remember anything," she said, twirling her dagger with her fingers, "because you were unconscious for a great deal of the moving process."

"How..." Susan began, but then she remembered just who she was dealing with.

"OH!" Scara exclaimed, whirling back around. She reached into one of the many identical wooden crates, and pulled something out of it. She walked over to Susan, bent down, and held the item out to her. It was a small square stick, brown in color, and no more than seven inches in length. At first, she didn't know what it was, but then, Scara flipped it over. Stamped onto the stick was two symbols, a letter and a number: C4.

A normal teenage girl would have no idea what that meant, but Susan, having two brothers, knew exactly what it meant. C4 was the shortened term for the explosive, dynamite.

"What is this?" the knight asked, straightening out, examining the explosive.

"Scara," Susan began slowly, already fearing for her life, "where did you get that?"

"Are you kidding me? These things are in more than half of these crates! Now tell me, 'gentle queen', what are these things?"

Susan knew that, at this point, she had to play it very safe, for even the slightest slip could end up in her death.

"I...I have never seen anything like these before." She lied, hoping it was convincing enough to ward Scara off.

The first look that came to Scara's face was surprise, then contemplation, then anger. The lie hadn't been convincing enough for her. Squatting down so that she was eye level with her captive, Scara became persistent.

"I will ask you again, Queen Susan. What _is_ this?" She shoved the stick of explosives in Susan's face, her hand following it, whenever her captive's face tried to avoid it.

"I told you, I know nothing!" Susan yelled back at her.

Scara, who had been up late the night before, carrying her captive to the warehouse, and tying her up, who had not had a decent meal in a little over two days, was on a very short rope.

"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. She stood up, and went over to the crate that held her personal belongings on top of it. She put the C4 down, and exchanged it for the dagger that Susan had grown to hate with a passion.

"What I don't understand, Queen Susan," she said, squatting back down, "is why you must make everything SO difficult. I know that you know what this is, and if I have to torture you to get my answer, then...I will."

"So," Scara said quietly, placing the tip of the knife on the side of Susan's neck, "what is it?"

Susan, who was already finding it hard to breathe, tried to remain strong, but she knew that Scara was much stronger.

"I told you..." she gasped, "I know _nothing_!"

"Yes you do!" Scara spat back, jamming the tip of the dagger a little farther into Susan's neck.

"No...no!" The pain of the dagger was starting to overwhelm her, and all she wanted was just to die...right there, at that very moment. Suddenly, the dagger left her neck, and she saw Scara stand up. She watched as her captor threw her dagger back over to the crate from which it had come. It landed right where she had it before it was brought over to her neck, and then she walked back over to Susan.

"You're bringing this upon yourself, my dear queen."

And with that, she dealt Susan a great blow to her head.

Darkness.

* * *

Caspian looked himself over for the thousandth time. Looking at his mirror, he just couldn't believe that the man staring back at him was actually...him. His hair rested on his shoulders, just like he was used to, but the rest of him was different.

He wore the three piece suit that Aslan had provided him, along with the clunky, shiny shoes.

"Aslan, my king..." He began, but a sudden feeling of childishness stopped him. He was worrying about how he looked, when the woman he cared for most was in danger.

A knock on his door disturbed his thoughts, followed by the voice of Glenstorm.

"Are you ready, your highness? The time is upon us."

"Yes, I am ready." The door to his chambers opened, and the majestic centaur stood there, with a torch burning brightly in his hand. The king gave one last tug on his jacket, gave a sigh, and went out into the hallway with the centaur.

---------

Aslan stood in the valley near Caspian's castle, pacing around in a circle. The grass, lit up by the brilliant moon, made soft indents where his paws walked over it. The warm summer wind made his long golden mane flow around his face like a gentle river, flowing in the moonlit night.

Tonight, he would be sending Caspian to the land that his majesty knew existed, but had never really wrapped his mind around. He knew that the surroundings would be different for Caspian, but the lion knew that he could handle it...after all, he would have Peter to help him. A small smile crept to his face, remembering the first time Caspian and Peter met. He could sense their hostility towards one another, and knew that there would be _a lot_ of bickering before anything got done.

His thoughts were stopped short when heard footsteps coming towards him. He looked up to see Caspian and Glenstorm walking to him, Caspian wearing the suit that he had Glenstorm bring to him.

"Your highness. Glenstorm. Thank you for meeting me here. Now, time is most certainly of the essence, so I need you to come with me, please."

The three walked wordlessly into the woods near the valley, where the trees were just beginning to show off their new baby leaves to the world. They stopped when they were no more than ten minutes in, and were at the base of a monstrous tree. Aslan then turned to the young king.

"Your highness, I know that this is going to all be very new to you, and so, I ask you to not be afraid."

"My king...might I ask where you are sending me?"

"I am sending you to the land of our kings and queens."

"You mean...England?" Caspian asked, knowing the name from whenever Lucy had told stories of her world to him.

"Yes, I do mean England. I know that Susan is there somewhere in the city."

"Your highness...how will I find her? I know nothing of this land!"

"Peace, your majesty. You will have king Peter to help you."

"How might I find him?" Caspian asked, becoming more doubtful of his own abilities with every passing second.

"I am able to get you close to where he currently resides. You must look for a rather large house, belonging to a professor. No lights will be on, but do not let that stop you. Just knock on the door and someone will answer."

With that, the great lion stopped talking, and stepped away from the tree. He then threw his head back, and let out a mighty roar, one that shook Narnia's peaceful night, shook the stars in the sky, shook Caspian inside and out. Suddenly, the gnarled and mangled roots of the tree untwisted, and opened a deep hole in the ground.

"Caspian," Aslan said quietly, stepping towards the king, "please...get her to safety. We both know how much she means, not only to Narnia, but to her world as well."

Caspian said nothing, but bowed low to the lion. When he looked back up into Aslan's eyes, he saw the very distinct look of hope, and he was automatically comforted.

"I will bring her to safety, Aslan. Do not worry."

The lion smiled, and said quietly, "_go_."

Caspian returned the smile, and turned to look at the hole.

"I will not fail." He said quietly to himself, and jumped.

**From the Author: I'M BAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!! I am SO sorry for my…what…three month (?) writing hiatus! Yes, after Christmas, I found myself wrapped up in my school's production of Beauty and the Beast, (I was a plate! :) ) and I've just been very busy with homework and such. Well…I'm on spring break right now, (YAY) and I have lots of writing time on my hands! Um, I felt really bad for not writing, so I doubled the chapter length (on Microsoft word, this chapter took up 8 pages…), so hopefully that makes up for some of it. :) Anyways, since I have A LOT of catching up to do, expect another chapter by the end of next week…and hopefully, we can wrap this story up soon. Oh. Sorry for the ridiculousness of the dryness of this chapter, but I had to get things going again. Ok. Well. As always, I want to know what you thought about the chapter! And you do that by…reading, and reviewing!**

**Thanks for your patience,**

**Texasgal777**


	6. Falling, and Scara's Plan

**Hello everyone. So…I am officially a sophomore in high school. (****yay****…no longer the babies of the school...****haha****) ****ANYWHO****, I am currently basking in the amazing-****ness**** of the two months of bliss formally known as summer break, and guess what that means? I might actually be able to finish some of my writing! So…buckle in, and get ready for the rest of this story, the long awaited Harry Potter story, and something else…eventually. ****Haha****. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters that aren't mine. Will the real Scara and Torin please stand up?**

The long tunnel of dirt twisted and turned, like a snake, writhing, in a strange, black, unknown. Chunks of soil were falling off the roof of the tube, pelting its rider with dried clumps of dirt and grass.

Caspian was the rider in the seemingly endless dirt tube, and he was having a very interesting ride. He was laying on his back, literally flying down into the darkness; a result of his rather large jump into the tunnel. With every dip or raise in the floor, he would either bounce a good two feet into the air, or sink further into the dirt. He had tried at least three times to grab onto the sides of the tunnel, so he could stop himself, and crawl the rest of the way down, but that hadn't worked out very well. So, all he could do was shut his eyes tight, and follow the tight curves of the vast darkness before him.

Finally, he slowed down just enough so that he could successfully grab a handful of hard dirt on either side of the tunnel, and stop himself. Very carefully, he brought his legs out behind him, and got down on all fours. He slowly inched down in the blackness, hoping that he could navigate himself carefully enough so that he could find the end of the soil maze.

After a good half an hour of aimless crawling, Caspian rounded a sharp turn, and immediately hit his head on a solid dirt wall that blocked him off from the rest of the tunnel chambers. He sat down in front of the wall, and thought. "How am I going to get out of here?" he said quietly what was intended to stay in his head. He knew that he was wasting time, and he knew that time was something that he couldn't afford right now. Desperately, he threw himself against the wall, hoping it would crumble-it remained as solid as ever. He tried again, and again, and again, but the wall just wouldn't give way. Finally, he sank back down, and muttered, "Aslan...please."

Suddenly, there was a sharp noise, like that of a firecracker, followed my many more creaks and groans from the tunnel. Finally, it was silent. Caspian only had a few seconds to analyze his situation, and then, with one more loud noise, the floor on which he was sitting crumbled beneath him. In just a split second, Caspian had gone from sitting in a dark tunnel to flying in the air at speeds that he deemed unhealthy for the human body. At first, he was falling through darkness, but not long after he had begun his flight, a light came. It was soft at first, but it gradually got brighter and brighter. After a few more seconds, the light got so bright that he had to close his eyes, to prevent him of being blinded.

Eventually, the brightness subsided, and Caspian slowed to a halt. He opened his eyes slowly, then quickly shut them again, for fear of what he was seeing wasn't real. He opened his eyes again, and was greeted by the same astonishing picture that was there the first time. Maybe this was real. Directly in front of him was the most beautiful-and frightening- thing that he had ever seen; a galaxy, glowing and twirling in the night sky. Looking around him, he saw that he was really a part of the sky, wherever he was.

He only had a few more minutes to marvel, though. He soon began to pick up speed, and started falling again, to a certain spot inside the galaxy.

Eventually, he slowed back down, but this time, he was actually inside the beautiful galaxy, facing a whole new spectacle. This time, a planet, one whose terrain looked very much like Narnia, was in front of him. He knew that this planet wasn't home to Narnia, however-there was a little bit too much water. Suddenly, it occurred to him...this was Earth! Susan was down there somewhere, and he was going to find her.

He looked around himself again, and was still amazed at what he saw. In the distance, he could see constellations that he had never seen before in his life. He watched as the stars slowly lumbered around him, and planets slowly spun in front and behind him. He looked around for a little longer, and, before he knew it, he was falling again-this time as fast as the first time. He watched as the terrain on the planet became more and more detailed, the grasslands, forests, and iced places making themselves known. He saw that he was falling to a small piece of land surrounded by water, a body on three of the four sides of the land. The land became larger and larger, as he got closer to it. Finally, he could make out the soft shape of a valley, full of lush grass-a perfect landing spot. He braced himself for impact, and brought his arms out in front of him. He hit the grass with a thud, and automatically lost all the feeling in his arms.

He rolled over on his back, massaging his wrists with the hope that the feeling would come back to them sooner. Looking up at the night sky, Caspian had a hard time believing that he had been floating there for a while. He laughed quietly, knowing that he was still alive, and that he could finally feel the stinging pain in his forearms. Gingerly, he stood up, and found that his legs were a bit floppy as well. He was able to walk over to a large tree, and lean himself against it, waiting for the strength to return to his legs. Looking around him, he saw things that he never dreamed possible. Flameless lights, smooth streets, buildings as tall-if not taller-than his castle...

"London," he breathed.

Finally, his legs began to work properly again, and he set off into the night, in search of the professor's house.

* * *

She woke with a start. Moonlight streamed into the warehouse through the cracks in the boards that were put in as walls, illuminating where she sat with an eerie, but soothing glow. Her hands were still bound behind her, around the pole in the middle of the room. She leaned her head against the pole, and looked around her. The numerous crates that all looked the same were placed all around the warehouse, with her kidnapper sleeping on one. Scara lay on the nearest crate to her, her long, silver hair looking luminescent in the moonlight. Looking at her, Susan felt all the hatred she had for the knight well up inside her throat. "I hate you," she muttered quietly, "I really do." Yes, she did hate her, but deep down in her gut, Susan sensed that Scara had a shred of humanity and good in her. The knight hadn't killed her yet, whether she needed to be 'preserved' for Torin or not, she hadn't been killed. Scara looked like she wouldn't do anything without a just reason to, so why was she with the Underground? "You must have a secret...I can't imagine any other logical reason for your behavior, Scara." She whispered again.

She closed her eyes, and fell back into a light sleep_._

_"He had NO right to betray us like that, Susan! Can't you see that he almost let out the enemy that nearly did us in last time? I don't know about you, __Su__, but I've lost all of my trust in Caspian. Can you blame me?"_

_Peter and Susan were sitting in the chamber that held the stone table, an hour since the unfortunate mishap that happened in that very room._

_"Yes, he didn't have any right to do that, but, Peter, you seem to be forgetting that you had just as much part in this as he did...and if it wasn't for Edmund, the both of you would have let __Jadis__ free."_

_"No, I wouldn't have! I...I had everything under control."_

_"NO, you didn't!" She was standing now, clearly very upset with her older brother. _

_"Susan, you sound like your siding with him rather than with your own brother!" He stood as well._

_"Haven't you noticed that I've sided with him the whole time? Your attack on the castle was a stupid idea to begin with, and when we ran out of time, and the SMART person would have recalled the troops, you INSISTED on going forward with it, and because of your ridiculous ego, half of Caspian's troops-which he worked hard to get-were slaughtered. And you expect him to just accept that??? Peter, you would have done the exact same thing, had your positions been swapped!"_

_"You don't know that."_

_"You know what? I give up. Talk to me when you're willing to take the blame that is rightfully yours, okay?" With that, she turned, and walked out of the chamber._

_Outside, the sky was cloudy, with a wonderful breeze. She stood, overlooking the front of the compound. She walked by and waved to the fauns guarding the front entrance, who bowed and awkwardly waved back to her. She gave a small laugh, and continued her walk around the hill. _

_Out in back, some soldiers were sparring, others were spearing bags of grain. Some were practicing their dagger throwing (Lucy was leading this group), and others were practicing at becoming better archers-and judging by the looks of it, they weren't getting any better. She walked over to this group, and decided to help the faun at the end of the line, who seemed to be struggling the most. She came up behind him, and placed her hand on his bow. He jumped in surprise, and then looked to see who was helping him. When he saw Susan's face smiling at him, he dropped his bow, and bowed. _

_"I apologize, your majesty...I didn't see you." He said, standing._

_"It's quite alright." She said, picking up his bow and arrow. "I noticed that you were struggling with your aim...may I help you?"_

_"Of course! Please...I need all the help I can get."_

_She smiled, and proceeded to teach the young archer everything that she knew. By the end of fifteen minutes, the faun was the best on the team._

_"Thank you very much, your majesty! I will teach the others on the team what you have taught me. Thank you." _

_"You're very welcome! I have no doubt that you will make Caspian proud." She said as she walked back up to the front of the hill. _

_As she was reentering the hill, she saw Caspian talking with his professor up on top of the hill, on the archer's mound. She knew better than to interrupt, but she felt like she needed to talk with Caspian. She entered the facility, and observed the remaining soldiers cleaning their wounds, and resharpening their weapons. _

_"Um," she cleared her throat, "may I have your attention for just a moment?" All the heads in the room turned toward her. "__Uhm__...hi. I just wanted to say that your efforts at securing __Miraz's__ castle were extraordinary, and they won't go unnoticed...nor will the deaths of your comrades. I know that Peter's plan was...not the best...but please don't think any less of him. I know that he's just trying to do what he thinks is best for this war. Thank you for your attention." She finished her statement, and then walked upstairs to the archer's mound. _

_On the way up the stairs, she passed the professor, who bowed to her._

_"Ah, my dear professor! Tell me, is Caspian still up on the archer's mound? I wish to speak with him."_

_"He is indeed, my lady. But, if I may say, he's a bit discouraged right now...are you sure you want to speak with him?"_

_"Yes, perhaps I can try to cheer him up?" She said with a smile._

_"From what he's told me about you my dear, I'm sure you'll have no trouble with that." He said quietly with a smile, and then walked down the rest of the stairs. She stood there for a moment, confused, but then carried on._

_Caspian was sitting on the archer's mound, looking deep in thought. She walked up to him quietly, and stood next to him. _

_"Do you mind if I sit here?"_

_Caspian gave a little jump, which made her smile. He looked up at who wanted to sit with him, and gave a little smile._

_"Of course, Queen Susan." He said, and scooted over on the ledge a little. She sat down net to him._

_"Susan...I just wanted to say that," he began._

_"I know." she said, cutting him off._

_"I'm so sorry! I jeopardized the resistance, and everyone involved because I was upset. Now tell me, what kind of king does that?"_

_"Caspian, listen to me. You had a moment of weakness. Yes, you did put this resistance and everyone in it in great danger, but you recognize what you did wrong, and what you have to do about it, right?"_

_"I know that I need to prove myself to my people again to earn their trust, and I know that I need to prove myself to you and your family, to regain your trust and support."_

_"Caspian, I know that you didn't mean for any of this to happen, and I know how sorry you are. You don't need to prove yourself to me at all."_

_He smiled. "What if I want to, my queen?" He asked, and nudged her with a laugh. She laughed along with him._

_"And why would you want to, dear King?"_

_"Because you're worth it." The words slipped out of his mouth before he could even think about it. He looked over at Susan, and saw that she was looking at him with an unmistakable blush about her. "Sorry." He said, beginning to blush himself._

_"It's alright."_

_They sat in an awkward silence for a while, until Susan spoke._

_"I went around the grounds and saw everyone training today...their coming along wonderfully, Caspian. You must be proud."_

_"I am. I'm so privileged to be able to work with a race that I thought was totally extinct before I met them. And...I'm also very privileged to work with the first human kings and queens of Narnia...the ones who would know this land better than anyone."_

_"And my family and I are very happy to work with a Telmarine king who is going to save Narnia." She said with a smile. _

_He looked at her and grinned. "You think so?"_

_"I know so, Caspian." _

_He looked back out over the hill, and laughed. _

_"You know...when I was younger, and my professor read me stories about the kings and queens of old, I used to pretend that I was married to Queen Lucy." He admitted, blushing furiously. _

_She tried to not laugh, but that didn't work. She burst out laughing, and had to lean on Caspian's shoulder to keep upright. He began to laugh too, and soon, they were both laughing. When they had calmed down, he finished the rest of his story. _

_"And when I became too old for queen Lucy, I pretended that I was married to...Queen Susan. You...in a matter of speaking."_

_This time she didn't laugh, but wasn't offended either. She simply rested her head on his shoulder, and listened to the part of herself that wished he wasn't pretending_.

She was awake again. The moon had been covered by the clouds, making everything dark again. She suddenly felt very alone and hopeless.

"Aslan...please help me-I don't know how much longer I can take." She said quietly, but her words were choked up by oncoming tears. Giving up, she lowered her head, and cried.

* * *

Caspian looked around him. He had managed to narrow down the search to three houses. He stood on the street, looking at all three of them.

"Aslan, please give me wisdom...please help me chose the right house."

Suddenly, a light turned on in the middle house, and then turned off. Caspian then knew that the middle house was the house where the greatest help could be given to him. He ran up the driveway, and up the stairs to the front porch. Without a moment of hesitation, he knocked on the door. There was no answer. He didn't expect any answer, though...after all, it was in the middle of the night. But he knew that he had to get inside this house. He pounded on the door again.

"Come on...open up!"

He was about to give up, and come back in the morning, but suddenly, a light came on inside. He rushed back to the door, and knocked again. He then pressed his ear to the wood, and listened.

"Ed! Ed, go and get the door!"

Caspian found himself strangely overjoyed at the sound of Peter Pevensie's annoyed voice. He heard Edmund groan, and he heard him start coming down the stairs. He knocked again, this time as loud as he could make it.

"Will you hang on for a bloody minute? I'm coming!" Caspian heard the second Pevensie brother yell, annoyance poured into every crevice of his voice. He felt guilty, in a way, for waking everyone up, but he knew that this was important. He moved away from the door, and waited for Edmund to open it.

Finally, the door opened, and a rather comical sight met Caspian. Edmund was standing in the middle of the doorway, looking very much like he wanted to strangle him. His hair was sticking out in a million different directions, and he was wearing his favorite blue striped pajamas, with well-worn bunny slippers covering his feet.

"Edmund?"

Edmund looked at Caspian, his head slightly cocked. Confusion masked his face as he replied, "Caspian?"

"Yes! Edmund, it's me."

Ed continued to look on, very confused, until his face lit up with his answer.

"This is a dream. A really strange dream. Not happening, Caspian lives in Narnia, not in England..." he smiled to himself, and shut the door.

Now it was Caspian's turn to stand on the porch, confused. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He had come so close, and Edmund thought that he was part of a dream, and shut him out. He decided to knock again, hopefully, Edmund hadn't gotten all the way back up the stairs yet.

He knocked, and listened carefully once again.

"ED! I told you to go and get the door!" Peter was yelling.

"Pete..."

"Go on!"

Another groan from Edmund, and he was walking back down the stairs to the door. The door opened, and Edmund stood there again.

"Ok...Caspian...are you really there?"

"As far as I can tell, Edmund, yes."

"I'm not dreaming? You're really here?"

"No Edmund, you're not dreaming, and yes-I'm really here."

"Oh, well then...come in!" He said, his face lighting up, and stood, gesturing him in.

"Thank you."

"Here...have a seat, make yourself comfortable...I'm going to go and get Pete and Lucy." He said, shutting the door and running up the stairs.

Caspian remained in near the door, looking around. From what he could see, the house was spectacular. Never once had he seen a house that looked so much like his palace.

"Pete, Lucy! Wake up, you're never going to guess who's here!" He heard Edmund yell to his brother and sister from the top of the stairs. "Get up and come downstairs, quick!"

Caspian looked down at himself-did he look presentable? His spectacular suit given to him by Aslan had managed to come away from sliding down a dirt tunnel with just a few dirty spots, although his hair was a different matter entirely. As he looked in a mirror that hung on the wall next to him, he saw the little dirt particles that had managed to make their way into his hair. He quickly ran his fingers through his hair, trying to get all of the dirt out. He was finally satisfied, and waited for the rest of the Pevensies to come downstairs.

Edmund finally led his siblings down the stairs, all the while saying, "you're honestly never going to believe who's here. Never...ever!"

"No, I'm not, Ed, especially at two in the bloody morning. Just...tell me. Who on earth is bothering us at this time..." Peter was at the bottom of the stairs now, looking right at Caspian.

"Caspian?"

Caspian began to say something, but was cut short by the arrival of Lucy, who stood at the bottom of the stairs for a moment, her eyes becoming as round as small plates. She let out a small squeal, and then ran, full speed, into Caspian, giving him the biggest hug a girl of her size could give. He received her, almost falling over in the process. He hugged her back, all his emotion falling out onto the floor. He had missed this family so much...especially Lucy-she always seemed to be able to make someone smile.

"I've missed you so much, Caspian!" Lucy said, burying her face into his shoulder.

"I've missed you too, my queen. So very much." He replied to her, squeezing her tight.

He let her go, and stood by her, as he looked over to Peter, whose face was that of utter confusion. Caspian watched as Peter turned to Edmund, and asked him, "Ed, am I dreaming? I feel like this is impossible...I thought...I thought that I would never see Caspian again. And now...he's here...in London, in our house. Do you see the irony?"

"Not really, Peter. But, I asked the same thing when I first answered the door. I don't think that any of us are dreaming. What do you think, Lu?" Edmund asked, turning to his younger sister.

"I think that you are both insane for even questioning the real-ness of this situation. Think about it! A day after Susan is kidnapped, Caspian shows up at our door. Doesn't this sound like the work of someone very familiar?" She watched as her brothers looked at each other in confusion, rolled her eyes, and then turned to Caspian.

"Caspian, tell me that somewhere in this whole thing that Aslan didn't have ANYTHING to so with it."

"As a matter of fact, he did." He said, looking down into Lucy's eyes.

"Ha!" she exclaimed, turning back to her brothers, "I knew it. Aslan sent Caspian to London because he knew that Susan was in trouble, and he needed to send someone who he could trust. That _is _why you're here, right Caspian?"

"Yes, my queen. As soon as Aslan heard Susan call out to him, he sent me. He even interrupted my wedding...to tell me." He finished quietly. Awkwardness settled in the room like a giant elephant.

"So...I think we need to talk about this more thoroughly...in the living room. Can I make anyone hot chocolate?" Lucy said, breaking the silence. All three men in the room raised their hands.

"Alright, then. Now, I think that you boys should move into the living room. Caspian, feel free to sit down, make yourself at home." She said, as she went into the kitchen. Peter followed her in, and Caspian and Edmund went to sit in the living room.

"Lu...how can you know that this is really happening? It just seems...impossible." Peter asked quietly, leaning against the counter.

"Because, if I know Aslan-which I think I do- he would send someone to help us. And he did."

"You seem to just...know. How?"

"I don't doubt his power, Peter. He heard Susan, and he knew that she needed help. My guess is that whoever kidnapped her wasn't from Earth, but from Narnia, and Caspian would know all about that."

"But this could just be a dream..."

"No, Peter, it's not. I hugged him! He's here, body and flesh, so stop fretting, okay?"

During their conversation, she had put a bar of chocolate in a pot, and placed it on the stove. It had melted, and now she was adding milk from the icebox.

"It smells good Lu. Really good."

* * *

She sat bolt upright on the crate. Pushing the strands of long silver hair out of her face, Scara swung her legs over to the side, so they hung loosely over the edge of the crate. She knew how she was going to get rid of Caspian.

She slipped off the crate, and moved all of her things off of it as well. She looked over to Susan, who was asleep against the pole. As quietly as she could, she lifted the top off of the crate in front of her, and moved it to the side. Inside, she found exactly what she wanted-the entire crate was stacked to the top with C4. She grabbed an armful of the small putty-like things, and the ball of twine also in the box, and then went outside.

She walked around to the back of the warehouse, where a steep hill caused the end of the building to be held up by stilts, exposing the floor of the warehouse. She walked in between the stilts, so that she was underneath the building. She set the ball of twine on the ground, along with all but one of the C4 sticks. She then reached up to the floor, the C4 in her hands. She carefully pressed the stick of C4 onto the underside of the building, which molded itself to fit snugly into the warehouse floorboards. She then took another stick of the explosive, and did the same thing with it. Then, she took the twine, cut a piece of it off with her knife, and stuck it in between the two explosives, connecting them.

True, she had no idea what she was doing, or how this explosive worked, but, earlier that night, she had a dream of a similar explosive device that was being created by the Underground scientists. Maybe, if she used the same techniques that she used with the explosive that she was familiar with, her plan would work.

* * *

"So...what exactly is hot chocolate? I've never had it before." Caspian asked, sitting on the green, Victorian couch in the living room.

"It's basically melted chocolate and milk put together...heated up. It's really good-and Lucy makes some of the best that I've ever had. So...you're in for a real treat." Edmund replied, sitting across from him, in an over sized arm chair.

"So...what's with the suit? I don't remember anything like that ever being in Narnia." Ed asked, leaning forward to put his elbows on his legs.

"Oh," Caspian began with a chuckle, "Aslan just kind of...gave me this, and asked me to put it on. How does it look?"

"Pshh, I'm not the one to be asking, mate." Edmund replied, leaning back in his chair as Peter and Lucy came in carrying four mugs of hot chocolate.

"Here, Lucy! How do you think Caspian looks in his suit from Aslan? He wanted to know."

"I think he looks quite handsome." Lucy said, as she passed out the mugs of steaming hot chocolate.

"Careful, everyone, it's quite hot." Peter added, before he took a small sip from his mug.

The Pevensie siblings all watched, as Caspian took his first sip of hot chocolate. His face lit up, as he smiled.

"This is really quite amazing, Lucy, thank you."

"You're very welcome," she said, smiling back at him.

"So, what's going on here?" Peter asked, looking at Caspian.

Caspian told them the whole story, from Scara to his suit, the tunnel to falling into London. He told them everything, with the exception of his wedding.

The three Pevensies looked at each other in awe, and in horror.

"So...what you're saying is that she's probably still here in London somewhere?" Peter asked, breaking the silence.

Caspian nodded.

"Well, then. It looks like we're going to be looking for her tomorrow then." Ed added.

Another nod from Caspian.

"We best get to bed, then," Lucy stated, "Caspian, I'm sure that Peter will let you borrow some of his pajamas, and you can sleep in Susan's room tonight. Sound good?"

"Very good, thank you, all of you." Caspian said, standing.

They all stood as well, leaving the mugs on the coffee table in the middle of the room. They all started up the stairs, as Lucy turned off lights. As he walked up the stairs, Lucy's words ran through his mind.

"You can sleep in Susan's room tonight."

* * *

Scara stood underneath the warehouse, admiring her handiwork. She had successfully gone through two crates full of C4, and the whole ball of twine. The entire warehouse was rigged to blow the moment anyone but her and her people stepped into the building. Now, all she had to do was wait.

"Let me see you make it out of this one alive, my dear Caspian." She said with a smile, and went back inside.

He was never even going to know what happened to him**.**

**From the Author: So...quite obviously, I'm AWFUL at updating. Terrible. ****Anywho****, I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter...sorry that it's a bit dry. So...for you writers out there, whenever you go back and read your previous stuff, do you think it sounds good? Because I've been re-reading this story, and I've decided that it sounds like crap. ****Bleh****. Anyways, I'm ****desperatley**** trying to finish this story, so I can move on to other stuff. So, what did everyone think of chapter 6? I hope it sounds better to you than it did to me. :) ****SOOOO****...the usual. Read and PLEASE review! I like to know what you all think, and what I can do to review. So...let's aim for ****atleast**** 15 reviews? Maybe? I know y'all can do it. :D **

**Thanks for being patient!!! **

**~Gabby**


	7. Kaboom

**Disclaimer: Things that I own: Scara. Things that I don't own: everything else. :)****  
****  
**The night was warm, floating along in a gentle summer breeze, the kind that makes you want to leave the windows open. The crickets serenaded each other in the tall grass, emitting a high-pitched, repetitive love song. Somewhere in the distance, the dull cry of an owl resounded in the night, while the little paws of the raccoons trampling over plants scurried into darkness. The northern sky was dark and clear, the stars twinkling with ease. To the east, over the city, the sky was a soft, muted, red, making the little orbs called stars harder to spot.  
All this, a misplaced king saw from a window in a bedroom belonging to a missing queen. He sat on her bed, in the darkness, observing the world that used to be just a story to him. Never, in a million years, did he think that he would be sitting in a house in London, England. But, he was also in a situation that he never envisioned himself being in, so the odd change of scenery was almost to be expected.  
"Caspian?" The voice of the eldest Pevensie brought him out of his thoughts.  
"Caspian, why are you sitting here without any lights on?" Peter asked his fellow king, but then realized something. "You don't know how, do you?"  
Caspian had turned to face Peter, and was shaking his head with a sad smile.  
"Right. Um...do you see this little knob down here at the base of the lamp?"  
Looking down at the intricately designed metal base, Caspian could see a small knob protruding out into the air. He then nodded his head 'yes'.  
"Okay. All you have to do is twist the knob to the right and..."  
Suddenly, the decently sized bedroom was illuminated by a soft yellow glow, muted by a ruffled white shade.  
"There. That's better," Peter said, putting the pile of neatly folded pajamas down onto the bed where Caspian was sitting. He was beginning to get the feeling of deja vu.  
"You're awfully quiet, Caspian...is something the matter? Well...besides the fact that we're in this not-so-great pickle right now?"  
"Not-so-great pickle?" The dark haired king questioned, obviously not understanding the phrase. He didn't even know what a pickle was, for goodness sake.  
Peter just looked at him, then ran a large hand over his face, letting out an exhausted laugh. "Never mind. Well, here are your pajamas. Hope you have good sleep," he said with a small smile, and then walked out of the room.  
Caspian tried to muster a smile as Peter walked out of the room, but was too discouraged and tired to put forth a great effort. Instead, he turned his head to look at the large room around him. It was a bit smaller than his chambers, but not by much. The walls were painted a light blue, with elegant white swirls dancing across them. A black, vacant marble fireplace occupied the wall in front of the bed, the plush white carpet turning into stone. Her desk was between the window next to her bed, and the fireplace, covered in papers. Finding the strength to stand up, Caspian walked over to her desk, and sat down on the white wooden chair parked in front of it. From just gazing at the pile of papers resting on the desk, the young king was astonished at what he saw.

Susan was an artist.

Laying on the top of the scattered papers was a sketch of a landscape. It was snowy, with pine trees surrounding a small clearing. In the middle of the small opening was a tall pole, with a bundle of blazing candles encased in glass on top. As he looked at the drawing a bit longer, Caspian realized where he had seen this artifact before. From all the Narnian history books that his professor had him read to taking a trip to see it with his own eyes, he knew that he was looking at none other than the lamp post that marked the place of Spare Oom. These were drawings of Narnia.

Curiosity overpowering his manners, he began to flip through the drawings. Among them were some of the most beautiful blends of pencil and grace that Caspian had ever seen. Races of Narnian creatures that were some of the ones that had not survived to his time were drawn splendidly on the light pieces of parchment, striking awe and fear into the king's heart. These creatures were powerful and mighty, twice as large as some of the ones that now resided in his kingdom. Weapons and armor were drawn in their entirety, amazing Caspian that they could fight with such simple armor.

He continued leafing through the sketches, smiling brighter after every one. She was so talented. He finally got to the last page of the pile, which was folded intricately closed. Setting the rest of the pile back down on the desk, he carefully unfolded the last drawing. At last, he pulled the last crease apart, and opened the drawing up, feeling his breath get caught in his throat. Drawn lightly on the paper was the face of a young man, with dark, shoulder length hair that swept around his face. He was smiling slightly, a look of mischief deep in his eyes. Almost falling off of the chair he was on, Caspian came to the realization that the man that she had drawn so wonderfully was the king of Narnia.

Him.

An unexpected lump rose in his throat as he gently set the paper back down on the desk. She had drawn him. She still thought about him...he had actually imprinted himself in her mind. Picking the paper back up and looking in the lower right hand corner, he saw her name written elegantly in ink. He imagined that the hand which had so beautifully signed this picture had also signed many pieces of legislature, laying down the rules of Narnia as he knew them today.

He placed the paper back on the desk, and was suddenly filled with such a deep sense of loneliness that it made his stomach hurt. He was in the presence of the greatest minds in all of Narnia-new and old-and yet, he could still feel the gaping hole in his heart that was made by the high queen, who was currently MIA.

Getting up from the desk, then stumbling over to Susan's bed, Caspian flung himself onto the soft white pillows, hoping a bit of rest would take his mind off of the current situation. Not feeling enough strength in him to roll over and turn off the light, the king just lay still until his mind wandered into the mist of sleep.

_It was minutes before Caspian gave his first speech as king, at the request of Aslan. The crowd was being assembled before the Peace Tree, a tree that his grandmother had planted when he was a little boy, telling him that, "as long as this tree stands, peace should befall New Telmar." He peeked around at the crowd from one of the pillars of stone that led into the small courtyard. He could see Aslan standing near the tree, with Edmund, Lucy, his professor, Reepicheep, and Glenstorm. The people were clumping into a large mass before the tree, awaiting their new king. As his dark brown eyes looked over the crowd once more, Caspian noticed that the high king and queen were missing from the crowd. Panic flooded through him, as he had just seen them talking sadly with Aslan a few minutes ago. Leaving his place of hiding, he ran quickly through the outer corridors, going to the place where he had seen both of them last. Once he was finally there, he slowly walked the cool path of the open hallway, looking around and listening. He was twenty steps into his search when he heard muffled crying coming from the small garden at the end of one corridor. He walked slowly, putting in all the effort he had, to not make his boots echo through the hallways. When he eventually reached the wrought iron gate of the garden, he could see that it hadn't been closed all the way. Peering in through the open gate, he could see Susan, limp in her brother's strong arms, crying. He held her close, looking to be on the verge of tears himself, rubbing small circles on her back. _

_"Peter," the queen gasped, trying to calm herself down, "I can't leave him! I won't! I can't..." She barely got out her sentence, until she was choked up again by a fresh wave of tears. _

_The former high king said nothing, but just buried his head into his younger sister's shoulder, trying to pass on strength that he knew he didn't have. Caspian turned away, the sight of the woman that he *might* love breaking his heart. He had no idea what her few words to her older brother meant, but right now, that didn't matter to him. Right now, he just wanted to hold her, and try to soak up her pain. He leaned against the stone wall for a few seconds, until he heard the rusty hinges of the gate squeak open. Peter walked out first, his tunic soaked on the right shoulder. He saw Caspian, and looked like he was going to say something, but swallowed his words and gave him a sad half smile, before walking away. Caspian then turned to look inside the garden. Susan was making her way out slowly, viciously dabbing her eyes with a silk napkin. When she looked up and saw the king standing in the doorway, she looked like she was going to start crying all over again, but maintained her composure, just like queens walked up to him, and all Caspian could do was wrap his arms around her, trying to heal her obviously broken heart. Surprisingly, he felt no return from her, just her warm body motionless against his. Awkwardly, he pulled away, looking deep into her crystal blue eyes. Pain was etched into her face, still a bit puffy from crying.  
"Susan," he asked, lovingly tucking a stray hair behind her ear, "what's the matter?"  
Locking her light blue orbs onto his dark ones, Susan Pevensie saw genuine concern and tenderness. She tried to savor the moment that their eyes shared contact, now knowing that she would soon have to leave those moments forever.  
"It's nothing, Caspian," she said quietly, shying away from his gaze, trying to move past him._

_He stepped in front of her, blocking her from walking away. He placed his hands lightly on her shoulders, making her meet his stare. _

_"Susan, tell me. Tell me so that I know how to comfort you," he smiled warmly, "I care for you so much...it pains me to see you like this."_

_The queen broke his eye contact, and turned her head away from him, biting her lip to keep the tears from falling again. The last part of his sentence, the part where he confessed that he cared for her, broke her heart clean in two. She had never had someone who cared for her like that other than her family. And to hear it coming from the handsome, sweet, and kind king of Narnia that she had grown to love...and now had to leave, was just too much for her to take. _

_"Please don't say that," she managed to get out._

_Caspian smiled at her, and continued to tell her how much he admired her, and that they were going to get through whatever she was going through together._

_Taking this time to get her mind and emotions under control, she took a deep breath, and looked back at her king, trying to be firm. _

_"Caspian," she began, getting her arms free from underneath his hands, and then putting her hands on his chest, "you have a speech to give. Please...just go." _

_The young king looked taken aback at his queen's request, and slowly took a small step back. He then thought of a way to retaliate. Taking a large step towards her, he was about to say something, but was cut off by Susan's short yell._

_"Go!" _

_She then slipped into the shadows cast by the afternoon sun, and disappeared. Caspian stood there, in the middle of the corridor, confused for a few minutes, but then knew that Susan was right. _

_He had to go and give his speech. _

"Caspian?"

His eyes fluttered open to the small voice that had woken him. He sat up and turned his head to see Lucy, standing in her robe and nightgown, with a puzzled look on her face.

"Lucy," he grunted, trying to turn around to face her, "did I wake you?" He asked, automatically feeling silly for asking the question. He had been sleeping. How could he have woken anyone up while he was sleeping?

"No, I was just cleaning up the mugs from the hot chocolate, and I saw that the light was on still. I wondered if you were having a hard time falling asleep...which is obviously not the issue we have here," she said with a smile.

Caspian couldn't help but smile when the young queen did...she was very talented at cheering people up. She walked over to the bed, and sat down next to him, not sure of what to say. Caspian looked exhausted and miserable, like he had just heaved a crate of cinder blocks up a hill. She looked around, until her eyes fell on the pile of pajamas that still lay neatly on the opposite corner of the bed.

"Caspian," she said with a small laugh, "you still need to put your pajamas on."

"Oh," he said, looking at the pile of clothes, "I guess I do, don't I?" He laughed.

"Well, come on, then! I'll wait here while you go and change, alright?"

"Thank you, queen Lucy," Caspian said with a grin, as he walked down the hallway to the washroom.

* * *

"Good morning! Wake up! It's a great day!" Someone's voice crooned loudly, waking Susan Pevensie up from a light sleep. She squinted her eyes open, and looked to see Scara towering over her with a grin.

"Why so happy today, Scara?" the queen asked sarcastically, trying her hardest to stretch her neck properly.

"Today," the knight began, turning her back to her prisoner, "is a wonderful day, because I finally get to leave this filthy world, and go back to my own. Torin is also sending my backups today, along with some food...being hungry for two days certainly makes one weak."

Susan couldn't help but laugh at the cruel irony. If she had been dealing with Scara while she was weak, then she certainly didn't want to deal with her when she was at full capacity. She tried to move around to get into a more comfortable position, but was just met with sharp pains everywhere. She had been sitting on her feet for two days now, her arms tied to a pole behind her. The skin where her hands were bound was raw and bleeding, eliciting pain any time she tried to move. In short, Susan was past being miserable.

"Now all we have to do is wait till my guards get here till we leave this place. Finally." Scara mused, tying her long, silver hair back into a loose bun.  
Susan closed her eyes. She knew in her heart that today, she would be going back to Narnia. On any other day, in any other circumstances, she would be more than happy to go back to the world that she had come to know as her home, but tonight was different. Right now, she still had a chance of her siblings finding her, and then calling the police, but in Narnia, escaping was going to be a much harder thing to do.  
"Oh," Scara began, breaking the queen of her thoughts, "I think you might be happy to know that Caspian is here in London...he's staying with your siblings."  
Susan could feel her heart stop.  
"Caspian...here? With...how?" she asked, her head exploding with questions, and her heart full of emotions. She was so happy that he was here in London. One more person to come and search for her. She was scared at the same time, though. She could see that Scara was absolutely hellbent on killing Caspian, and now that he was here within a few minutes of her, she would definitely take advantage of that.  
"Word through the grapevine is that Aslan sent him here to help find you. He came directly from Narnia last night."  
Letting her head rest on the pole behind her, Susan couldn't believe what she was hearing.  
_Aslan __**did **__hear me.

* * *

_

_The room was cold and dark, with just the moonlight slipping through the cracks in the boards that made up the wall. There were huge wooden crates stacked up all over the room, blocking out most of the light. In the center of the room was a pole, solidly put in the cement floor. Lucy could see, in the strips of moonlight covering the room, a great lion quietly moving through the shadows. _

_"Lucy," the soft voice of Aslan called to her._

_"I'm here, Aslan," Lucy replied, watching the silhouette of the lion.  
"Lucy...she's here. Susan is here. Does this place look familiar to you?" He asked as she looked around some more.  
"It doesn't look familiar from the inside...can we go outside?"  
Aslan looked around, and then gave a small nod. The two of them walked out into the cool night, Lucy holding onto the lion's soft mane.  
Once they were outside, Lucy knew exactly what she was looking at.  
"Aslan! I do know this place! I pass it every day when I go to school. It's been empty for some time now."  
"An empty space would make the perfect place for someone to conduct business without being noticed. I know she's here. You need to tell Caspian and your brothers to go here. Your sister's life may depend on it."_

_"Of course, my king."_

She woke up with the morning sun just peeking over the horizon. She quickly got dressed, and then ran downstairs, into Peter's room.

"Peter! Peter, wake up!" She said in a high whisper, shaking him.

"Mmmm...what is it, Lu?" her older brother asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"I know where Susan is! Get up!"

The eldest Pevensie sat bolt upright at the news that his younger sister brought to him, wide awake.

"You _what_? Lucy...how?"

"I'll explain everything over breakfast. Get dressed...get ready to go," she said quickly as she ran out of the room.

The next door in the hallway was Edmund's. Lucy rammed the door open, which was enough to wake up her brother.

"Lucy, do you have any idea how early it is? Look, the sun isn't even..." Edmund began, but was cut off by his younger sister.

"Ed, I know where Susan is. Get dressed, and come downstairs for breakfast-I'll explain everything then." She hurried the words out of her mouth, and then left, leaving a slightly dazed and very confused Edmund behind.

Lucy ran back upstairs to the final bedroom that needed visiting, Caspian's.

She knew that as a guest, she couldn't just barge into the room, like she had done her brothers, so she knocked quietly. And then again. And again. Finally, when she knew that it couldn't wait any longer, she pushed the door open quietly. There, sleeping like a rock on the bed, was Caspian, his hair a tangled mess around him. She walked as quietly as she could over to her sister's bed, and then whispered, "Caspian...Caspian!"

She was gently poking his arm now, now realizing how much of a deep sleeper the king was. Finally, he rolled over, with his hand over his face.

"Five more minutes," he muttered, his thick spanish accent slurring his speech slightly.

"Caspian," Lucy prodded, gently removing the pillows from underneath his head, "you have to get up."

His head hit the mattress with a thud, making him open his eyes.

"Oh...Lucy! I'm sorry, I was just...erm...sleeping," he said groggily, sitting up in the bed.

"It's alright," she said with a smile, "I think I know where Susan is."

She watched as Caspian's eyes grew wide, and his mouth drop slightly. He blinked a few times before he seemed to process the situation, then ripped off the covers, and stood up, a large smile creeping on to his face.

Lucy couldn't help but smile at his reaction. He held out his arms for a hug, which she ran into.

"Honestly, the greatest news that I've heard in days," he said happily to her.

"I'm glad," she said with a smile, letting go of him, "why don't you get ready, and then come downstairs for breakfast. I'll tell you everything then."

"It sounds like a plan."

* * *

The four of them sat at the large oak table in the kitchen, each with two waffles, doused in maple syrup, on their plates. The three boys were eager to hear about how Lucy had come on the information regarding her sister.

As soon as she took her seat at the table, the questions started. Lucy blocked them out for a moment, while she cut up her first waffle, and took a bite. She looked around at the scene unfolding around her. All three of the boys were asking questions, their voices in a competition to see who could be the loudest, and who would get their question answered first. She just sat there, looking at all of them in great amusement.

"Boys," she finally said, the room silencing in seconds.

"Alright. I'm going to tell you what happened, _exactly _as it happened, and then you can ask questions, okay?" She received three wordless nods.

"Okay. Last night, I had a dream," she began, but saw that as soon as her words were spoken, the three shrank back, inwardly rolling their eyes.

"Stay with me here. In the dream, I was in some sort of room. It was dark, but I could make out most of it...there were wooden crates covering most of the floor space, and there was a pole in the center of the room, cemented into the floor. As I was walking around, I saw Aslan. He was there with me. He told me that Susan was here, and he asked me if I knew where it was."

"Did you?" Ed blurted, immediately covering his mouth at the sight of his younger sister's annoyed stare.

"As I was saying," Lucy began again, still glaring at Edmund, "He asked me if I knew where it was. I said that I didn't know, and I asked if I could go and look at the outside of the building. So, we walked outside, and then I knew where I was. If Aslan is right, which he usually is, then Susan is being held in the abandoned warehouse on the other side of town...near London Pasta and Company."

Both Edmund and Peter's jaws dropped, but Caspian looked confused.

"Um...you're going to have to excuse my horrible knowledge of London, but..." the dark haired king began, and Edmund answered for him.

The warehouse that Lucy described...we pass it every day on the way to school. Everyone knows that it's been empty for years now...we all tell stories about what might be in there. All we've ever done is guess. It's about a ten minute walk from here."

The four of them looked at each other, knowing what to do. They then bolted from the table, knocking their chairs over in the process.

* * *

A knock on the back door to the warehouse startled Susan out of her daydreams. Scara, who had been sitting on one of the crates, absent-mindedly twirling her dagger between her two index fingers, jumped up excitedly, and ran to the door. Susan sat where she was (it was really the only thing that she could do), and listened. Scara spoke first.

"Who is it."

Hagar and Jyre, commander. We come from the great master, Torin," a rough voice responded. The door then flung open.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you boys," Scara said, relieved. She heard the two men then come inside the warehouse, and the heavy door shut behind them. Before they came into full view to Susan, she could hear the knight/commander/whatever she was ask her 'boys' questions.

"Has Torin informed you of the situation?"

"No, he has not," a different, raspier voice answered, "he just told us that you were in the human world, and that you needed backup."

"Oh, well then...I have a treat for both of you. You're never going to believe who Torin sent me after this time."

The three pairs of footsteps began to move, and soon, they all appeared in front of the tied up queen.

"Gentlemen, may I introduce you to High Queen Susan. Susan, Hagar and Jyre. We go _way_ back, so be nice."

Susan sat on the floor, in total humiliation, tied to the pole. She looked up at the two massive men in front of her, and felt herself wanting to melt into the floor.

Hagar was a tall man, not a whole lot older than Scara looked, with long, greasy black hair and grey eyes. Jyre was definitely the scarier of the two, though. Only a little shorter than Hagar, he had no hair, orange eyes, and a scar that went diagonally across his whole face. But both shared the same toothy grin, as they now looked down on her.

Jyre was the first to dive into the insults, bowing low.

"My queen," he said, trying to contain his laughter.

Hagar followed suit, only curtsying awkwardly.

Scara looked on at her two men, snickering to herself.

"Well. As much as I would love to stay around and catch up with you all...no, not you, Susan...Caspian is in very close proximity to us, and I would rather get out of this warehouse and wait for him," Scara said, turning to the crate that held all of her potions, as well as her beloved dagger, and shoving them all into a leather bag.

"Wait," Susan said, speaking up for the first time, "you said that you wanted to wait for Caspian?"

"Yes, I did. And I think that you know why," Scara replied, turning back to Susan, bag in hand.

"Scara...no. No! You can't do this!" Susan said, panicking and starting to scream.

"Yes I can," the knight said icily, leaning down to get in the queen's face. She then stood back up, and walked toward the back entrance.

"Untie her from the pole, then bind her hands," Scara said, turning the knob on the door, then noticed that her captive was still screaming. With a malicious grin, she finished her sentence by saying, "Oh...and gag her as well."

* * *

The three young men stood by the front door, ready to go. Peter had told Lucy to stay at home, and to wait until they all got back.

"Good luck," Lucy sighed, eying them all over one last time. They all smiled at her, then opened the door, and left.

Lucy waited till they were out of her sight before she slipped on her sandals, and went out the door behind them.

* * *

Hagar and Jyre had successfully bound and gagged Susan, and were now carrying her over to a large tree that Scara was hiding behind. They sat the queen down on the soft grass, ignoring her glare.

"Now," Scara began, playing with something in her hand, "when your brothers and your king get here, you just need to sit back, and watch the fireworks." Susan didn't even want to know.

Eventually, after a few minutes of waiting, three men came running up to the warehouse, out of breath and tired. Scara was suddenly more happy than the queen bound before her had ever seen her.  
"Queen Susan, you'll be wanting to see this," the knight laughed, helping Jyre lift her into a sitting position where she could see everything that was happening. There, standing in front of the warehouse were her two brothers, and her king. Her heart soared at the sight of him, knowing that, had she been standing, she would have been weak at the knees. She could feel her overjoyed screams of his and her brothers' names vibrate against the piece of fabric that kept her from making any kind of noise. She watched as they ventured into the now vacant warehouse, and closed the front door behind them. She then turned to look at Scara, who looked so happy that she could dance. The knight turned to her comrades, as well as her prisoner, and said, "in about twenty seconds, this entire warehouse is going to blow sky high."  
They all looked at her with equally confused looks, and she loved it. She found herself jumping at the chance to explain her evil plan to anyone now.  
"Underneath the warehouse, in the floorboards, I have two crates worth of explosives ready to blow that entire vicinity off the face of this earth."  
Susan stared at her, the full horror of the situation crashing on top of her like a huge wave. Unless she stopped the knight, she knew that she was going to lose three of the four people that she cared about most. She began to writhe violently on the grass, trying to free herself from her bonds. Unfortunately, Hagar grabbed her from behind, and held her perfectly still.  
"How do you plan on igniting the explosives, commander?" Hagar questioned, tightening his grip on the queen.  
"An excellent question," she began, holding up her right hand, "With this." In her hand was the tail of a long strand of twine. The other end couldn't be seen, as it snaked through the grass, and under shrubbery to the underside of the warehouse.  
"Jyre, a match, if you please." Scara demanded, failing at covering up the excitement in her voice. Susan could hear the man digging through his pockets, and then finally handing a small box to his commander.  
"Thank you."  
A small scrape could be heard against the bark of the tree that Susan was leaning on, followed by the sickening hiss of fire.  
"Here's to you, Caspian," Scara whispered, pressing the lit match to the twine, "may Aslan watch over your soul."  
Susan could feel herself screaming against the gag, kicking her feet wildly. Through her struggle, she could see the fire chewing through the string at an alarming rate, growing larger with every passing second. She closed her eyes, feeling the sting of tears gnaw at her eyelids. _  
Aslan, oh Aslan! She's going to kill them! My brothers...the king of Narnia! Aslan, spare them from this fate! Please...please! Save them...  
_She opened her eyes to see the last bit of flame slip underneath the warehouse, and then...  
_BOOM.  
_A cloud of dust now masked her eyes causing her to cough and choke wildly against the gag. Through all the commotion, she heard Scara yell to Jyre, "remove the gag, she has no one to call to now." As soon as she had said it, the queen felt the piece of fabric removed from her mouth. She spent the next few minutes coughing, thinking that she was going to throw up.  
Eventually, the smoke and dust cleared, and the entire party that was hidden behind the tree was speechless at the sight before them.  
The whole warehouse had been obliterated, leaving just a large pile of rubble behind.  
After a few moments of quiet shock, a sorrow-filled sound pierced the day.  
"NO!!!" The high queen screamed, letting the word rip through her heart.  
Scara was the next one to make any noise, letting out a triumphant scream that matched the volume of the woman bound before her.  
The knight looked down at the now sobbing queen at her feet, held tightly in the arms of her henchman. In a moment of victorious evil, she squatted down to look at Susan in the eyes.  
"I'm so sorry for your loss," she whispered, before standing back up.  
"You _bitch_! You awful, evil, vile BITCH!" The queen screamed back at her through ragged sobs. Her throat was starting to hurt.  
"I think you've made quite enough noise for one day, my queen. Jyre, put the gag back on her. We're done here."  
Susan screamed even louder as Jyre came at her with the horrible cloth. Even though she bit him and kicked him in the stomach, the burly man just laughed, and was able to get her gagged in no time.  
Still being held in Hagar's arms, she saw Scara knock on the tree four times. A great moan came from the aging willow, as its roots straightened themselves out. Soon, all four of them found themselves staring into a large hole in the ground.  
"Time to go home, boys and girls," the knight said with a grin.

* * *

When Lucy reached the warehouse, she was completely taken aback. It wasn't there anymore. In its place was a pile of rubble and smoke.  
_Someone knew that they were coming.  
_"Oh no," she breathed before rushing to the scene. She knew that her brothers and Caspian had to be in there somewhere, hopefully still alive.  
She was almost to the edge of the rubble when she saw something out of the ordinary. The willow near the used-to-be-warehouse was...opening. Through the long strands of leaves, she saw three figures. One was a young woman with long, silver hair. Another was bald and gruff. The last one that she could see was tall and burly, and he looked like he was holding something. The young queen squinted her eyes to see better, and felt her head spin. The man was holding a tied up Susan.  
Instinctively, she ran over near the willow, and called out her older sister's name.  
"_Susan_!!!"  
Now that she was closer to the tree, she could see her sister's eyes widen, and saw as she began to kick the air around her. The woman with the silver hair snapped her head to look at Lucy, causing the little queen to shrink back a bit. The woman then whispered something to the bald man, who was suddenly running toward her. Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy could see Susan's eyes well up with tears as she continued to wriggle free from the other man. She was too busy watching her sister, that when the bald man reached her, it was to late to react. She felt his hand press on the back of her neck through her hair, and then she fell.  
The last thing that she saw before slipping into unconsciousness was the sight of her sister being carried down into a hole in the ground, the tree closing behind her.

**Author's note: Well hey, there! So...I know that a lot of you thought that I disappeared off the face of the planet, and I'm here to tell you that I haven't. No worries. So...this has taken me one hell of a long time uploading, and I am SOOOO sorry for that. A huuuuge thank you to everyone who has stuck with me and this shabby story of mine. :) So yeah. There's this magical button on the bottom of this page, saying something along the lines of 'Review This Story', or something like that. Would you be a darling, and maybe...perhaps click on that for me? Hehe. I LOVE to hear what you all have to say. Thanks!  
~Gabby**


	8. Cleanliness and Dinner Parties

**A/N: Heya. So...this story is going nowhere, is it? Haha. I'm going to finish it, and I would love reviews, but whatever. I'll probably do a massive upload in the future, with all of the chapters till the end of the story. Thanks for being so patient. :)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, that would probably mean that I would be getting paid for writing this story. Needless to say, I'm as broke as ever.**

Her head hurt. Badly.

Lucy's eyes flicked open to see the blue sky, masked by wispy clouds of white ash and smoke. The air smelled somewhat musty, the small pieces of dust and debris making her throat hurt. She sat up slowly, beginning to brush the pieces of rubble that covered the back of her head out. Looking down, she saw that she was absolutely covered in dirt, dust, and blown up 's when she remembered what had happened.

Standing up so quickly that she got dizzy, Lucy stumbled awkwardly over to the larger pile of rubble a couple of feet away from where she had been lying. Once there weren't any more stars surrounding her head, she knelt down and began to start frantically digging through broken floorboards, metal rods, and other such things, desperately calling out the names of her two brothers and the visiting king.

"Peter!"

Nothing.

"Edmund!"

Still nothing.

"Caspian!!!"

The poor queen was on the verge of tears, her voice beginning to become raspy. She continued to dig through the enormous pile of debris, still calling the names of the three that were in the building at the time of the explosion.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of aimless screaming and digging, a small sound could be heard from underneath a large piece of wood a couple of feet away. Lucy heard the noise, and immediately ran over to the place of its origin, tripping over remnants of the explosion. Slamming her knees back down onto the covered ground, she began to dig again, removing mostly floorboards from the general vicinity of the noise. She lifted up the heaviest board that she had come across all afternoon with ease, knowing that a life was on the line. Underneath this particular board, Lucy found exactly what she was looking for.

Peter lay on his stomach, coughing lightly, his face pressed into the gray grass.

"Peter! Oh thank god!" She sighed with relief, while turning him onto his back.

"Lu," the high king managed to say, before overcome by a coughing fit, "what happened?"

"Shh, Peter. The building blew up. Are you alright? Can you move at all?"

"Yeah...I think I'm okay. I just have a blitzing headache. What happened to the others?"

"They're still buried underneath the rubble. I don't know if they're alive or not. Do you think you can stand up?"

"I should be able to, if you would be so kind to help me."

The youngest royal said nothing, but slung her older brother's limp arm over her shoulders, and helped him get up. Once her brother steadied himself, they both knelt back down on the ground, and continued to search for the other two. In a matter of minutes, they managed to find Edmund, who winced in pain when he tried to stand up. After further examination, Lucy concluded that the younger king's ankle was broken. They made him sit down, and wait as they searched for the last person.

"Caspian...Caspian!" Peter and Lucy shouted. They were careful to step lightly on the thick piles of rubble, hoping not to step on Caspian. They continued to call out the name of the king, but to no avail. Edmund tried to stand up once or twice by himself, insisting that he wanted to help, but then gasped in pain, sat back down, and wished his siblings good luck. It had been over ten minutes since Lucy and her brother had found Edmund, and they had not yet found Caspian.

_Oh god. Oh my dear sweet goodness...I've gotten the king of Narnia killed. Oh no. _  
The thought laid as heavy as a 100 pound weight in Peter's already overwhelmed head. What if he had just led Narnia's sole king into a trap that caused his death? How would the people react to that? What if they thought that he had done it on purpose? Just *happened* to take the king into a compound rigged to blow, yeah right. Would Aslan vouch for the Pevensie family? Or did he not know what had just happened, and would assume the same things that his subjects assumed? If they didn't find an alive Caspian, there was going to be some serious trouble.

"Peter! Peter, come quickly!" His younger sister's worried voice helped the high king surface out of the pools of daydreaming, and come back into the cold winds of reality. He ran over to where Lucy sat, digging furiously, as if her life depended on it. He reached her, and then brought his knees down slowly, feeling the aches from being...blown up. As he peered into the hole that his sister had just dug, and felt himself breathe a sigh of relief. Caspian lay so far underneath all of the rubble that his back was sunk in the dusty grass. His face was cut badly, one slice on the side of his head almost reaching from his forehead to his jawline. With the help of Peter, and the encouragement of Edmund, Lucy was able to get every piece of blown up building off of the king, including a heavy pole that landed squarely in the center of his chest.

Peter than proceeded to pull the young king out of the dent in the pile, and laid him on top of a large floorboard that was resting comfortably on top of everything else. Caspian was unconscious, his head sitting lifelessly on Lucy's lap. Fear and panic started to return to Peter. The king wasn't waking. What if he had internal damage? What if he never became conscious again? Maybe he _had _gotten the sole king of Narnia killed after all.

Kneeling by his sister's side, Peter took two fingers and felt around for Caspian's pulse. Finally, he managed to find the thumpthump. (Yay for Pirates of the Caribbean references! Haha.) With a sigh of great relief, he sat back on his heels, and watched his younger sister gently fan the young man's face.

Finally, Caspian's eyelids creaked open, his dark brown eyes locking onto Lucy's light blue ones. Both Lucy and Peter smiled, obviously relieved.

"What just happened?" Caspian asked, shocked, his head still in Lucy's lap.

"The building blew up. It looks like someone might have known that we were coming," Peter explained, taking hold of Caspian's hands and helping him to sit up.

"Is everyone safe?" Caspian continued, now sitting with his head cradled in his hands.

"Yes," Lucy said, standing up next to Peter, "everyone is accounted for. Well. With the exception of Susan."

The other three looked at her with heartbroken, exhausted, scraped up and bruised faces. It was time to get back to the house. With the help of Lucy, Caspian was able to stand on his shaky legs, as Peter was hoisting Edward up, and hooking his arm around his shoulder. Just as they were about to begin the trek home, Edmund stopped, and put a look of deep thought on his face.

"How on earth did we all survive that? There isn't any way possible that we *all* could have survived. Pete," he began, attempting to do a 360 degree turn, while hobbling on one leg, "I want to go and see what's left of the building. There's got to be something in tact still."

With a sigh, Peter and Edmund walked over to the edge of the rubble trying to find remnants of the building. While they were doing so, Caspian turned to talk with Lucy.

"What were you doing here, Lucy? You could've gotten hurt like the rest of us," he said gently.

"I would rather die with people that I love then to live without them, Caspian. You have to remember that I wasn't always this size or age...I would and I will still make these decisions for myself. I'm with all of you till the very end."

Caspian was shocked. Never before in his life had he heard such words come out of a person so...stereotypically inexperienced to all of that. He could think of nothing else to say, as the other two boys walked back to them.

"Ed's figured it out, everyone." Peter grunted, as he pulled a slipping Edmund back up.

"Only half of the building exploded. There was a malfunction somewhere in the back of the building...the entire top of the warehouse, along with the walls, got blown to heaven...but the back part that hangs over the hill is still somewhat alive. Whoever it was that tried to kill us _obviously_ wasn't too smart about it."

Lucy grinned, happy that her injured brother's humor was still with him. She looked at all of their faces, all looking pretty pitiful...but alive. God, she was glad that they were all alive.

"Alright. I think it's time to go home and get...decent."

She decided, as they were walking (and limping) home, that only there would she tell them all that she had seen Susan.

* * *

Faster, faster, faster...she descended into the vast darkness that lay in front of her. Hagar's hand was clamped down tight around her skinny wrist, forcing her to push any thought of escaping from him out of her mind. In the blinding darkness, she couldn't see Jyre or Scara at all...but she knew that they were there, along side her.

Wind that seemed to come from no where whipped her face and tangled her hair up in ugly knots. Her stomach did uncomfortable flips in her torso, as she flew through the black.

It seemed like she would be falling for all of eternity. There in the darkness, she and three traitors to the crown of Narnia. Hope seemed to leave her body through the tears stinging her eyes, being blown across her face and into her dirty hair.

But it was then, that she saw a light...a growing, warm light...

* * *

Lucy ran up the stairs and onto the front porch, to open the front door to the three young men, two of which now carrying one. She watched, her heart breaking, as Edmund winced while the other two struggled to get themselves up and into the door. She tore her eyes away so that she could quickly clear some of books and unnecessary pillows off of the couch, for Edmund to lay down on.

Peter and Caspian, carrying the other Pevensie together, finally managed to get through the door, and gently dump Edward onto the couch. The youngest daughter then proceeded to sit the two other kings down in the living room, and went to go and draw baths for them.

"Your baths are ready, you two," Lucy called down the stairs toward Caspian and Peter, minutes later.

Gingerly, the two stood, briefly glancing at one another. They slowly made their way up the stairs, going two different directions when they reached the top.

Caspian opened the door to his bathroom, immediately grateful for the warm air. He looked around the room, somewhat marveling at it. The tub was a circle, sunk into the middle of the room, billows of steam rolling effortlessly of the top of the water. Light blue and white candles flickered happily around the edge of the tub, the rest of the room a soft darkness. Lucy had really gone all out to make him feel like a king, after all that had happened today.

Wincing, he slowly took his shirt off, his back feeling like something had scorched it. Turning around, saw a mirror that he hadn't noticed when he walked in. He turned, so that he could see why his back felt like it was on fire.

It looked so bad that he almost laughed.

Huge bruises had already begun to form on his shoulder blades, his lower back looked like it got lacerated by a winged lion.

With a sigh, he turned back around, and slipped the rest of his clothes off.

He sank into the warm bath, gritting his teeth to the pain the water caused to his wounds. When he finally got comfortable, he was able to rest his head on the back of the tub, and let all of the events of the day slip off of him, and mix with the water. His eyelids suddenly felt like lead, and eventually, he just couldn't keep them open anymore.

_He rode, desperately, through the trees, hoping that he was in time. He didn't know why, but the moment that Queen Susan and her younger sister had left on his horse, he felt sick. Like there was something that he was overlooking, that was going to put the two queens in danger. Tall birch trees flew by him, faster and faster._

_Finally, he could hear the snap of a bow, and the hiss of arrows close by. Then, he saw her. She was standing in the middle of a clearing, with no sign of Lucy or the horse in sight. Arrows were flying from her bow at rapid speeds, hitting and killing all of Miraz's men that Caspian knew would follow her._

_He angled himself behind a patch of trees, so that neither Susan nor her opponents would see him. He didn't want to jump out...otherwise, he might run the risk of her thinking one of two things. One, that he had no life, and that he was so obsessed with her that all he did was follow her around. Or two, that he thought that she couldn't handle these guys by herself, and that she needed his help. Neither were true, of course..._

_Susan had gotten the number of men after her down from twelve to one. Both Caspian and Susan thought that the last soldier would be just like the rest of the ones that were now dead, but this one did something unexpected. He swung his sword straight towards Susan, but missed. He then turned around, and knocked her with such force that her bow flew from her hand. With one more hit, Susan was on the ground, trapped._

_He knew that he had to do something. With a nudge to his horse, he flew out from behind the trees with a yell. With a few quick slashes, the soldier from Telmar fell. The king rounded about, so that he was in front of the grounded queen. He looked down at her relieved smile, and couldn't help but grin._

_"Are you sure you don't want your horn back?" he asked flirtatiously._

_To this, she just smiled. He offered her his hand, which she gladly accepted, as he pulled her onto the horse. She then wrapped her arms around him, causing unwanted (and hopefully unnoticeable) shivers to snake down his spine. He let it happen for only a moment, but then regained composure, and started back towards the How._

_"Where is Queen Lucy?" he asked Susan, as they were now riding together._

_"I let her go alone. I had to make sure that she was safe...and that's a lot easier to do when you don't have twelve guys following you."_

_He smiled at her remark. She was so brave. Even in the face of death, she stood where she was, and invited it with her arrows. She was more than willing to lay down her own life for the life of her sister. Just another thing to add to the list of why he felt such a strong attraction towards her._

_They rode in silence for a while, Caspian trying to come up with intelligent things to say toward the queen that was riding with him. He couldn't think of anything. So, naturally, he said the first thing that came to mind._

_"You were incredibly brave back there, Queen Susan."_

_Susan could feel herself blush from his compliment. She had thought that he was attractive when she first met him, but now, her feelings were beginning to manifest into something else entirely. Caspian was brave - willing to go against his own family to fight for what he believed in. He was sweet, and goodness, did he have a way with her. He knew exactly how to compliment her, how to make her happy. He was also attractive. That was a score in itself, she thought._

_"Thank you, kind sir," she said with a giggle, "But. I'm confused. You managed to jump out of nowhere...and help me when I needed it. How did you manage that, Caspian?"_

_Caspian could practically feel her smirk on the back of his head. He was busted._

_"Theoretically, I might have followed you, because I didn't want you to get hurt...and I was just waiting for the right moment to jump into the picture. Theoretically." he laughed._

_She laughed along with him, resting her head on his strong back. "Well...thank you for your concern. I'm alive because of it."_

_Caspian felt amazing. The gentle queen made him feel alive...made him feel like a hero._

_They finally reached the edge of the forest that opened to the back of the How. Staying hidden in the trees for a moment, the two could see Peter and Miraz fighting in the make-shift arena in the beginning of the How, and then taking a break. The two riders still didn't make their way of the forest._

_"Do we have to go out there?" Susan whispered to the King, her hold on the king's waist tightening in a hug._

_In response, Caspian got off of the horse, and then lifted her off as well. He looked at her, now fully realizing the reality that he could have lost her today. All he could do, was cup the back of her head in his hand, and bring her into a hug. Her armor clanked against his, making all sorts of noise. But they didn't care. _

_It was at this moment that Susan learned that every moment that the two of them shared just by themselves was to be cherished. After all...every second that she spent with him was one second added to the amount of time that she had collected to prove to herself that she was falling in love with him._

_When they broke apart, Caspian locked his charming brown eyes onto her beautiful blue ones._

_"We're going to go out there, and no matter what happens, we'll back each other up. We're going to win this battle, because I would hate to see everyone's efforts go in vain. And," he said with a smile, "I want you by my side every step of the way."_

_"Then that's where I'll be." She said with a grin. She was aware of how corny this conversation was becoming, but at this point, she had more important things to worry about. _

_He smiled at her, and then, without warning, swept her back up onto the horse. He joined her seconds later, ready to ride out and kick his way to a victory._

His eyes fluttered open. He was still sitting in the tub, the water (amazingly) still warm. With a sigh, he sat up, and began to wash himself off.

* * *

As his eyes opened, so did hers.

Susan was tied up again. Only this time, she wasn't in a warehouse at all. In fact, she had no idea where she was.

The room around her was crude, almost not even a real room. It looked like she was in a cave. Kind of like the How, but much smaller. Torches burned all around her, making the small cell glow red. Her arms were, yet again, tied around a pole. Only this time, the pole was much more knobbly, like it was just made that morning. A thick wooden door, with one small window at the top, barred the queen in her cell.

Taking a moment to brush the cobwebs of unconsciousness away from her head, Susan was awake just in time to hear boots walking quickly down the hall towards her cell. Trying her hardest to put her on her queen's face, she waited for the door to open. There was a jingling of keys, and then the door burst forward.

Scara stood before her again, cleaner and more different looking than ever. Her long silver hair was washed and brushed, cascading down like a waterfall around her face. She wore a flowing black blouse, tucked into red pants. Black suede boots graced most of her calf, small heels creating the noise that Susan heard as she walked down the hall.

"Welcome back to Narnia, Queen Susan," Scara said, the fire glistening in her eyes.

"Thanks," was all Susan was able to say. She was still shell shocked about the death of her brothers and Caspian. She felt hollow inside. At this point, she didn't really care what Scara or her assistants did to her, it didn't matter anymore. They could beat her till she bled, tortured her till she screamed...nothing could match the pain of losing her family, and her almost love.

"Torin, my commander, wishes for you to join us for dinner tonight. Will you oblige?" The knight asked, twirling the ends of her long silver hair around her fingers.

Susan looked blankly up at her. Dinner with the person who has organized all of this from the very beginning. With the person who, effectively, had Peter, Edmund, and Caspian killed. Who had given orders to his right hand women to make her life hell. Right...like that was going to happen.

"Absolutely not."

"You realize that if you don't eat dinner with us, then you will get a slice of bread...with Hagar and Jyre as your company. I'm sure they would have _lots_ of fun with the queen." Scara came back with a smirk.

The thought of what the two burly, disgusting men could do to her made Susan sick to her stomach. Weighing her options carefully, she decided what was going to get her farther, quicker.

"Fine. I'll have dinner with you."

"Good! Now. Since you haven't bathed...or changed clothes in a while, I do believe that some clean up is in order." She then snapped her fingers.

Two younger looking women, dressed in plain cotton dresses, appeared in the doorway.

"This is Mirra and Prasis. They will be in charge of getting you clean for tonight," Scara said, as she knelt down to cut the ropes binding Susan's hands to the pole.

"If I cut this, do you promise not to do anything stupid?" Susan didn't look at the knight, but she knew that around her waist was her sword, and in her boot somewhere, the dagger that made her want to scream. Scara was armed and dangerous...and she would cut her down if she attempted to escape. All she could do was comply with her orders. She nodded to her question.

"Good," Scara sighed, retrieving her dagger from her boot, and slicing the rope apart.

Bringing her sore wrists around to wring them, Susan was immediately helped up by Mirra and Prasis. They led her out of her cell, through a series of intricate hallways, and finally into a bathing room. Hot water fell from a wall of gray rocks, and into a large, stone, pool. The floor was made of furnished wood, gentle steam puffing up from strategic holes made in it. Stone benches were stood near the pool, which was now vacant.

With the help of the two maids, Susan managed to get her filthy pink dress off, and slip quietly into the pool of deliciously warm water.

* * *

They all sat in the living room, clean, with piping mugs of tea in their hands. Silence and frustration cloaked the room as they sat.

Finally, Lucy broke the silence.

"I saw her. I saw Susan."

All three of the mouths around her dropped.

* * *

Susan was walking through the corridors again, looking away and blushing at anyone who saw her, as all she was wearing was a long, black, silk robe. She was on her way to a dressing and fitting room, to find a dress to wear for dinner that night.

Walking into the room, Susan was amazed at what she saw. The room was like her cell, only much, much bigger. A few torches blazed on the walls, but the main lighting came from an enormous, brass chandelier hanging from a very high ceiling. Hundreds upon hundreds of beautiful dresses hung in neat rows in the back of the room, a small pedestal for the person being fitted to stand on rested in the center of the room. Three ornate mirrors stood in a semicircle around the pedestal, for the subject to see herself in.

"Whatever dress you should chose, you get to keep." An icy voice came from the doorway. Susan, Prasis, and Mirra all turned to see Scara, back to check up on them.

"Whose are all of these?" Susan asked halfheartedly, walking toward the lavish dresses.

"Mine," the knight said matter-of-factly.

Susan was astonished. "How could one person come to own all of these? More over, how often do you even use any of them?"

"I'm a Thief Lord. Half of these, either I've stolen for myself, or others have stolen and given them to me. Some, Torin has bought. Others, I've bought myself. I rarely ever use them, but a collection certainly comes in good use for certain situations, such as this one, don't you think?"

Susan nodded.

"Go on. Find yourself one that you fancy. And be quick about it, dinner is to be served in half an hour."

* * *

"There were two really big men. One was bald...and the other had long, dark hair. One was carrying Susan. And then, there was a lady. She was really scary looking...but pretty at the same time. She had really long silver hair. She knocked on the tree, and then it opened. That's when I called out to Susan. But then she saw me, and had one of her men go after me. The last thing that I remember was them carrying Susan into the tree, and it closing behind them."

Lucy was sitting in between Caspian and Peter, telling them of how she had seen her sister. The two young men were absolutely ecstatic that Susan was still alive, but now, they began to worry. Susan was back in Narnia, they all had no doubt of that fact. But Narnia was a huge land. She could be anywhere by now.

"My men and I have been trying to locate the Underground headquarters for many months now...we've achieved nothing. Only a few leads that turned out to be false." Caspian lamented, taking a sip of his tea.

"How, in the name of everything that is pickles, are we going to find her?" Edmund asked, his ankle now wrapped and feeling much better.

"And remember Peter...we can't leave. Not yet. The professor is coming home tomorrow morning. If we left now, there's a chance that we wouldn't be back in time, and he would begin to worry."

"And what will we tell him about Susan? Where she's gone?" Peter asked, cradling his head in his hands.

"We'll say that she's gone to a friend's house for the weekend."

"Sounds like a plan."

"And," Caspian added, "since I'm not supposed to be here anyway, I'm going to go back, and get a head start on locating her."

All of the Pevensies looked up at him. His sudden departure seemed sad to them. He had brought them hope when they needed it the most, and he brought a little bit of the land that they all loved so much to England with him.

Caspian could see that they didn't know what to say, so all he did was stand. Lucy looked at him, aware of how strange he would look back in Narnia. He was wearing one of Peter's white dress shirts, black pants, and bare feet. She was the next to stand, and went in to hug Caspian.

"Please find her, Caspian," she whispered to him.

"I'll try, Queen Lucy," was his response. When she let go of him, he walked over to Edmund, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Good luck, Caspian," the younger king said, slapping him on the shoulder.

Finally, Caspian turned around to say his goodbyes to the magnificent king of old. Peter stuck out his hand, to which Caspian grabbed on to.

"Find her. Keep her safe. She's in your hands, Caspian. You mess this up, and things could get ugly." Peter said in an exhausted tone.

"Of course, King Peter."

He gave them all one last glance, and with a smile, he said, "Goodbye, my kings and queen."  
He then opened the front door, and went outside. Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander.

_Aslan. I am ready to return. Show me the way._

Seconds later, a low groan came from somewhere behind him. He turned to see a large oak tree unfurl its roots, and reveal a doorway. With one last smile directed toward the professor's house, he sighed, and walked through the door, back to Narnia.

* * *

Susan stood with Scara in front of two massive iron doors, waiting to be let in. She had decided on a long, princess-like, red dress with a black lace overlay. The sleeves of the dress hung limply, half way down the top part of her arm. Her hair had been curled into pretty ringlets, with a fresh, white rose tucked in close to her ear. Scara was wearing a long, slinky black dress, her hair in a messy bun. She wore a necklace of diamonds that fell like a waterfall around her neck and collar bone. Both were dressed to kill, but only one would actually do the deed.

Eventually, the doors opened, and they found themselves in a lavish hall. Like all the other rooms, the walls were made of stone. From the ceiling hung three chandeliers, each positively dripping with diamonds. A long, oak table shone both from the candles in the chandeliers and the burning fire in the fireplace at one end of the room.

Almost every seat at the table was filled, the only two open were the one to the right of the largest chair, and the one directly across from it. The people sitting in all the other chairs were men, decorated with furs, medals, jewels, silk, you name it. These were Scara's fellow Thief Lords. The man sitting in the largest chair looked to be the youngest in attendance, just a few years older than Scara. He had long, deep blonde hair, that came in waves to below his collar bone. His face was kind, his eyes a dark, stormy blue. All in all, Susan concluded, he was a very attractive young man. This young man was Torin, king of the Thief Lords.

"Come. Sit." Torin called to the only two women in the room.

"You will sit across from him. Do not make eye contact, do not say anything. Do you understand?" Scara whispered to Susan, who gave a small nod. Scara then left, and walked over to her seat to the right of the master. Susan followed suit, taking her seat, just as the knight had told her. She watched as Torin stood, waiting for Scara to make her way over to her seat. Once she reached it, she did not sit down, but knelt down at her commander's feet. The young man smiled, and ever so gently, tipped the knight's chin up so that she could look at him. Susan could see, for one fleeting second, a moment of something between them, but then it was gone. Torin offered her his hand, which she took, and then sat down.

Torin remained standing, and began to speak.

"Tonight, we celebrate the return of my right hand, Scara Leon. She has been gone from us for many days, tracking down and bringing me this delicacy which sits among us tonight: Queen Susan, the Gentle, High Queen of Old."

Suddenly, all eyes were on Susan, and she had no idea what to do. One glance at Scara, who glared at her, told her to remain calm.

"As you all know by now, our mission is a simple one: to overthrow King Caspian the tenth, and to overrun his council with our people," Torin continued, "And I think most of us know that the quickest way to a man's heart and strength is a woman, yes?"

The crowd of men roared, as Susan suppressed a shudder.

"Well. This lovely queen before us...stand up, would you please," he gestured toward Susan, who very shakily stood, "...is the king's forbidden love! The one that he would die for, be banished for, dethroned for," the men were beginning to go wild, "sits here at our table tonight! We have the leverage to make the boy-turned-king SQUEAL for our mercy! With her help," he laughed, "oh, with her help...we will BRING DOWN the king, KILL all those loyal to him, and _TAKE OVER NARNIA_ _BY FORCE!!!_" Now, every person in the room was standing and cheering, including Scara.

Susan stood there, mortified. She was on the verge of tears, but she knew that she couldn't cry...not here, not now. Slowly, she sank back down into her seat.

"So, my friends," Torin yelled, once the noise had ceased, and everyone had sat back down, "let us feast, drink, and savor the night in which the key to Narnia was given to the Underground. Bring out the food!" With that, he sat down next to Scara, who smiled at him, and gushed about how well his speech went.

The doors leading to the kitchen banged open, and hundreds of waiters glided out, plates of food balanced carefully on the pads of their fingers. Soon, everyone had their food, and were all waiting for the master to take his first bite. Torin ripped off the leg of a roasted Sun Turkey that had been placed in the middle of the table, and savagely sank his teeth into it. The crowd cheered, and began to dig into their own meals.

The only thing that Susan could do to keep from crying was bite her lip, and stare blankly at her food.

"My lady must eat," Torin said, and Susan could feel his gaze penetrating her mind, "so that you have strength when the time comes." She could hear Scara's malicious snicker nearby.

Tears stung her eyes. Her head was starting to hurt. Her weakened defenses finally gave way, and she sat there, hollow and incomplete, crying silently.

Little did she know that the man that she believed was dead was lying on Narnian grass somewhere, recovering from his journey back.

**A/N: Oh hey there! So...this chapter is pretty much just...bathing. How laaaaaaaaaame. Oh well. So...massive upload in the near future. I would love all of you very much if you reviewed! (Hint. Hint.) Haha. So. My hands hurt. I think I'm going to stop typing now. Okay. Bye! R&R!**

**~Gabby**


	9. Rings and Reunions

**A/N: Hey all. So, this is the beginning of the massive upload that I talked about earlier. Woot! :)**

**Disclaimer: These characters I own not. (Think YODA! Oops. I don't own him, either.)**

The blades of rich green grass were soft against his tired body. His dark eyes combed the bright stars, subconsciously naming off all of the constellations he could remember off the top of his head.

His limbs ached, as he lay in a clearing near his castle. Turning his head to his right, the king could see the soft, amber glow of his palace-a beacon in the dark. His flag was just visible, rippling gently in the soft summer breeze.

For some odd reason, Caspian felt more tired than he ever had before. His eyelids felt as though they weighed the world, and then some. His energy was running dangerously low, and for a few seconds, he wondered if he would even be able to make it up to the castle. He hoped that there was a guard on border duty tonight; he would be patrolling the top of the castle, and would be easy to call to.

With a groan, he flipped over onto his stomach, and, using up more of his waning strength, pushed himself up to a standing position. From there, he ran -like a dying drunk, might I add- back to the magnificent front gates of his palace.

A palace guard, muttering about how he was so 'fortunate' to have the night watch, patrolled the walkway from the west to east sides of the castle, the walkway that went straight over the mighty front doors.

Caspian could see the lone guard's shined helmet reflecting the light of the moon, making him a visible sign of aid. He breathed a soft sigh of relief…his guards were doing their job wonderfully, even in his absence. He was now in close enough proximity to call out to the older guard, who was returning to the middle of the walk, just above the doors.

"Soldier!" The king called, every muscle in his body hurting, his mind fighting against the irresistible urge to collapse on the spot. He watched as the guard robotically whipped his head around to look at him, and then do a double take.

"Identify yourself, stranger," the guard called back, though he had a feeling that the straggler was someone that everyone in the kingdom knew very well. It was protocol, however.

"The king," was all Caspian was able to get out of his royal mouth, before succumbing to the soft clouds of sleep.

* * *

"My friends, I thank you that you were able to join me in celebration of our great victory tonight. Now, my servants will show you to your chambers. If you should need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

Dinner had concluded about an hour or so ago, and the past hour had been spent with the drinks. Every thief lord had enough to make any man embarrassingly drunk, but surprisingly, most showed very little sign of it. These were men that could truly hold their liquor.

Susan hadn't eaten much. She had poked at the turkey a bit, taken a nibble out of her slice of bread, and may have popped a grape or two into her mouth. Needless to say, the small amount of food did little for her hunger. Her stomach was ravenous for food, but there was no way that she would be eating anything here.

She watched, out of the corner of her eye, as the lords exited the room slowly, each going to his room. Soon, it was just her, Scara, and Torin still sitting at the table.

"Look at me, Queen Susan," she could hear the velvety voice of the king thief echo in the now empty dining hall. Slowly, she lifted her head so that she was looking into the stormy blue eyes of Torin. He said nothing for a long while, and just looked her over. It took everything in the queen to not break his gaze, but she managed, nonetheless. Finally, he spoke.

"Questioning tomorrow, I think…you look like you could use a decent night of rest, my lady." Susan knew that he was using the formal terms, like 'my lady', as mockery to her and her position as queen. But now, she was too tired and devastated to do anything about it.

"You look very nice tonight," he added, trying to make small conversation with her. All she could do was nod at his compliment.

She then saw him whisper something into Scara's ear, to which she nodded, and got up from the table. She walked elegantly over to Susan, and instructed her to get up. The queen did as she was told, and walked with the knight out of the hall, back to her cell.

* * *

The torches were still lit when Scara opened the heavy cell door, bathing the dark hallway outside in an amber glow.

Apparently, Scara didn't feel like tying Susan to the pole tonight, as she just stood in the doorway as the queen reluctantly went inside. Once she was sure that Susan was well situated, the knight called to a servant, who came inside the cell with a bowl of hot soup, and half a loaf of bread.

"I noticed that you didn't eat very much at dinner tonight. Eat this if you want it-I promise it's not poisoned."

"Oh, thank you, that's so comforting."

"I thought that you would want to know that we're not trying to kill you."

"Right."

"Well…just in case you finally realize that you're starving, you've got the soup and bread."

Susan, slightly shocked by Scara's sudden act of kindness, decided that now would be the right time to ask the question that had been bothering her since she was being held captive in the warehouse. Just as Scara was about to shut the door, Susan piped up.

"Scara, wait."

The knight looked at her, a curious expression painted onto her face. "What?"

"I have a question to ask you…it's a bit personal, so I can understand if you don't want to answer it, but I wish you would, so that I can get an idea of who exactly you…are."

Scara's face darkened a bit, but she was still open to the question. "Shoot."

"Why did you become one of them? Why did you become a thief lord?"

For a moment, Scara's face changed, softened a bit. "That's it? I became a lord because I wanted to. The pay is wonderful, when you get lucky." She replied, and then turned her back to leave.

"I know that's not why you did. From the moment that we met, I could tell that you weren't here originally. I could tell that your heart hasn't always been stone. Tell me why you're here."

At this, Scara stopped cold.

"How do you know such things?" She whispered, her back still turned towards the queen.

"I've seen a lot of different people in my lifetime, knight. After a while, you learn to pick out the characteristics of individuals. I ask you as a queen now, tell me your purpose for becoming someone that you quite obviously were not before."

For some strange reason, Scara was taken aback. She could practically feel the regality running through her prisoner's veins…something as pure as a dove. Looking into Susan's face, she could almost see the gold crown, with its leaves gracefully twisting around her head.

Shaking her head to clear the images from view, Scara pulled a bench from the outside hallway into the cell, and sat down.

"Caspian the ninth. You're beloved's father. That's where it all started," Scara began, not believing that she was actually telling this story to her prisoner, "The last year of his rule was when the man that I had been seeing for quite some time proposed to me. Naturally, I said yes. He was part of the king's board of advisors. It was a very stressful job for him, but he loved every minute of it.

And then, one day, out of the blue, the king had him removed from his job-the job that he cherished with his life. To make matters entirely worse, Caspian appointed Sebastian, a man that my fiancée had some sort of competition with. Riktor had always wanted to do better than Sebastian…he simply wasn't satisfied if he didn't. He was finally at the point in his life where he thought that he had finally triumphed over Sebastian. He had a job that he loved, and a fiancée that he loved even more. And suddenly, he lost one of the things that he was most proud of to his rival.

The sudden loss of one of his favorite things in life-to his nemesis, no less-caused Riktor to spiral into a phase where he was always upset, and could no longer find pleasure in the things that he loved most. Every day, he got a little worse, and eventually, it got so bad, that he didn't want to go outside anymore. I kept him company all the time, until the very end.

I had gone out early that morning to go to the market, as we were in desperate need of food. I came back just a few hours later, with enough food to supply us for another week. I expected him to be sitting at the kitchen table, ready for me to make him his breakfast, but he wasn't there. I looked everywhere for him, and finally I walked into our bedroom. And," she said, her voice cracking, "there he was. Lying on the floor, the sword that the king had issued him piercing his heart."

A single tear fell from her right eye, and made the slow trek to her cheekbone, where she promptly brushed it away.

"There was indeed a time in my life when I thought those who opposed the king were crazy. But it was that day that changed my opinion forever. I left the house, and burned it, in search of the Underground, and the one that they called Torin. When I finally found him, the Underground was still in its baby stages, and he took me in, no questions asked. Though he was just a few years older than myself at the time, he took wonderful care of me, and raised me to be what I am today-his right hand. And there is no place that I would rather be. "

Unknowingly, Susan had been crying. She could tell now, as she reached up to her face, and felt that her cheeks were wet.

"Scara…I'm so sorry. I had no idea…"

"It's been five years. I've moved on, Queen Susan. There will always be a small place in my heart for Riktor, but lately, it's been overpowered by something else."

She stood up, and stretched.

"I do believe that it's time for me to retire for the night. You better eat that soup; by the way…I _did_ have some heated up just for you."

And with that, she walked out of the cell, to her chambers, the heavy door closing behind her.

* * *

A knock resounded in Scara's quiet bedchambers. She was seated, in her night dress, at her magnificent vanity, brushing out her long, silver hair.

"Who is it?"

"Lysa, my lady," came the voice of one of Torin's maids from the outer corridor.

"You may come in."

The head of a young woman popped into Scara's room, her short blonde hair flipping every direction as she did so.

"The master would like to see you in his chambers in five minutes, my lady."

"Very well, thank you." The knight watched as the maid vanished, and then turned back to her vanity. She was in no shape to go to Torin's room. Her skimpy, silk nightgown didn't provide for nearly enough coverage, and her hair was just hanging limply down from her head. She didn't really care, however. She simply grabbed her long robe, put it on, and walked out of her room, and went to Torin's.

The cave's corridors were damp and cool, a wonderful feeling in the summer's heat. Small torches flickered from their places on the walls, spread out about every ten feet or so.

Scara slipped in and out of the shadows cast by the torches, trying to comprehend what had happened with Susan. She couldn't explain it. Maybe it was the fancy dress. Maybe she knew something that Scara didn't. Whatever the reason, the knight couldn't put her finger on how the queen had somehow emerged from her shell.

To her, Susan had always been a prisoner. Someone that she shoved around, until she got what she needed. Never before had Susan ever crossed her mind as a queen. True, she was one of the most famous queens in all of Narnia. She was the high queen of old.

Regardless, she had somehow overpowered Scara, and made her divulge one of her more confidential secrets. The knight just couldn't get her mind around the fact that she had somehow been beaten by her own prisoner.

Eventually, large wooden doors appeared on the right side of the corridor. Careful, swirling designs were carved into the door, which stood five or six feet over her head. Grabbing a hold of the massive, silver knocker, she rapped on the door.

"You may come in," Torin's smooth voice came from inside. With his permission now given, Scara pushed the right door open.

(This whole next part is basically describing his room, you can skip if you would like. :) )

If there was ever a room fit for God himself, it was Torin's. The room was large, with an incredibly high ceiling. Illuminating the whole room was a giant crystal chandelier, about the same size as the ones in the dining hall. The walls were bare stone, with the occasional fancy torch here and there. Lavish tapestries hung on the west and east walls, his bed occupied the north, and a tall waterfall cascaded into a small pool in the south.

His bed was an ornate four poster canopy bed, with sheets of the absolute finest quality, and pillows stuffed with goose down.

In front of the waterfall's pool sat a wooden coffee table, with a beautiful couch and two high-end chairs.

A majestic looking desk rested against the east wall, its top covered with documents, maps, and candles.

(End of describing stuff. W00T!)

This was where Scara found the king thief when she walked into his chambers. He was sitting, his back hunched over a map of Narnia. There were random notes to him scrawled onto the aging map in ink, masking some of the content. He was planning something.

"You called for me, my lord?" Scara asked, awkwardly standing near the closed door.

"I did," Torin agreed, placing his quill onto his desk. He then stood from his seat, and turned so that he could see his right hand knight, who kneeled as soon as he stood.

With a smile, he walked over to her.

"It's after hours, Scara. There is no need to be formal," he said with a small laugh, reaching his hand down for her to take. She grinned at him, and put her small hand in his. He gently pulled her up from where she was kneeling, but instead of letting her hand go once she was standing, he brought it up to his lips, and kissed it softly.

Once he let go of her hand, she let her boundaries drop, and ran into his waiting arms. She tangled her arms around his neck, burying her head into his shoulder. He pulled her close to him, wanting to never let her go.

"I'm so glad that you're back, sweetheart. I've missed you," Scara could hear Torin whisper through a curtain of her silver hair.

She pulled back for a moment, smiling at her lover. His long blonde tresses were pulled back into a ponytail, a short wavy lock hanging down on his face. He wore a deep red night shirt and black pajama pants, his feet bare. He stood just a bit taller than she did, and as he looked down into her eyes with his striking blue ones, he lowered his head down just enough so that their lips were almost touching.

Scara responded to his gesture by sweetly pressing her mouth against his, her arms back around his neck. He put his hands on her waist, and locked his body into place against hers. He could feel Scara reach up to his ponytail, and carefully remove the band from his hair. Blonde waves fell carelessly in every direction, as the knight began to tangle her fingers in his tresses.

Suddenly, Torin broke off, and ran over to his desk. Scara stood in the middle of the room, not exactly what had just happened.

"Torin," she began, a questioning tone settling in her voice.

"I just remembered something," he answered back, now rummaging through his desk's drawers, "I remember why I called you to me tonight."

Finally, after moments of awkward silence, Torin walked back over to Scara, a smile on his face. He gently took her hand.

"Close your eyes, my lady, if you please," he said, the grin on his face practically audible. He was still holding her hand.

She did as she was told, a small smile beginning to tug at the corners of her mouth.

"Alright. You may open them now," he said after a short time.

Scara opened her eyes, and couldn't believe what she saw.

Torin, still holding her hand, was down on one knee on the ground, holding an open box in the either. With a closer look, Scara saw that inside the box was a beautiful ring. It was a plain silver band, with five diamonds of different color placed on the top.

"Scara, we've been together for three years now, and we've known each other for five. In that time, you have proven yourself to be the heart of the Underground, a fearsome warrior, and an excellent thief lord. But most of all, you have proven to me that you are a wonderful friend, a brilliant young woman, and the love of my life. I honestly have no idea where I would be today if you hadn't shown up in my life. I love you more than anything, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you, Scara Leon, make me the richest man in the world, and marry me?"

* * *

He awoke to the sound of soft music twinkling in the night. A small candle was lit on his nightstand, illuminating the silhouette of an ornate music box. A soft, sweet tune played from the box, a majestic lion spinning around in slow circles.

From his place on the bed, Caspian watched as the gold lion passed in and out of the candle's light, making it glow slightly. After a few minutes, the music began to slow, the lion along with it. Eventually, the music tinkered off, leaving the silence of the night to creep in.

He looked around, now noticing that he was lying in his bed, in his room in the castle. They must have brought him in sometime in the past few hours.

The sheer curtains that opened up to his balcony swayed softly in the summer breeze, the moon making them glow a pearly white.

Quietly, he peeled the covers back, now noticing that they had also changed him into one of his night shirts and pajama pants. (This is Gabby…how awkward would that be if you woke up wearing a different set of clothes…and knowing that someone had changed you? It just kinda creeps me out. Anyways, back to the story.)

Setting his bare feet onto the rug covering the floor, Caspian stood up, and silently walked over to his balcony. Pushing the curtains away, he was greeted with a full moon, and glistening stars. He had forgotten how beautiful Narnia was, after being in England.

As he looked out over the tops of trees and into the horizon, he realized that somewhere, in this huge land called Narnia, Susan Pevensie was in the hands of the Underground. Somewhere, the high queen of old was potentially being mistreated by Torin, Scara, and their misfits.

The thought of her, his queen, being hurt in any way made his blood boil. How could anyone even begin to think of hurting something so beautiful and soft? He knew that he wanted nothing more than to find her, and bring her back to the castle, where she would be safe.

The only problem was, however, he had no idea where she was. She could be anywhere-back by the Eastern Ocean and Cair Paravel, or by the Western Woods, perhaps. There were so many places to look, and no where near enough time. He knew that every moment that she was with the Underground was one more moment closer to her death.

_Aslan…I need help. You know where Susan is, I do not. Please, show me the way to her…I fear for her, my lord. Please let her not be harmed by any of the Underground members. Also, please let her know that I think of her every day, and that I love her very much. Tell her to stay strong, and that help is coming.

* * *

_

Susan woke from her slumber, nearly falling off the bench that she was lying on in the process.

She didn't know if it was day or night-she had lost track of the days since she had gotten captured. The only thing that she knew for certain was that she was in a cell, in the Underground complex. She was still wearing the beautiful dress from dinner last night, in which the full skirt made an excellent blanket for sleeping.

Her hair was beginning to fall out of the ringlets that it was in, and the flower tucked behind her ear was starting to die.

Looking around, she saw that there was literally nothing to do in this cell. The door remained shut, and the only things in the cell were a bench, torches, a few pebbles here and there, and an empty plate from her dinner last night.

Reaching over from her place on the bench, Susan grabbed a small pebble. Getting down of the floor with the pebble in her hand, she scratched the surface of the cell floor with the rock.

Squinting in the light of the torches, she could see a small white line where her rock had scraped the surface of the floor.

She then took the same pebble, and proceeded to carefully scratch out the letter C. Then, an A.

Soon, she put the pebble down, and smiled. Standing up so that she could see the entirety of her handiwork, she sighed. There, glowing lightly in the torch light was a single word.

_Caspian_.

The name sounded so warm, soft and comforting to her. Oh, how she missed him. His adorable smile, light laugh, flippy hair, and most of all, his unwavering love for her. It felt like years since she had seen him last. And now, he was dead.

Determined to not let Caspian's or her brother's death get the best of her, she tried to think of her happiest memories of Caspian. The best ones were usually when they were alone, like when he had laced up her wrist guards, or when they were debating whether or not to go back to battle. Some of them weren't though…like when Aslan had told him that he was a king.

"_Rise, kings and queens of Narnia."_

_The four Pevensie children stood, while Caspian remained kneeling. _

"_All of you," came the rich voice of the lion._

_Caspian looked up, a bit confused. From where she was standing, Susan could see Aslan give the Telmarine prince a small smile, and nod. _

"_I do not think I am ready." Caspian confessed, lowering his head. _

"_It is for that reason," Aslan said with a grin, "that I know you are." _

_Slowly, Caspian stood, greeted by a hand shake from Edmund, a high five from Lucy, and an approving look from Peter. Eagerly, he looked over to Susan, who beamed radiantly at him._

_Today was a good day._

_The last of Miraz's soldiers were turning their weapons in, and most of Aslan's army was already making the long trek back to New Telmar-the only people left were the kings and queens, Caspian, the DLF, and a few soldiers. _

_Caspian stood along the bank of the ford, amazed at the events that had happened that day. He had saved the high queen, gotten a hug from her, fought alongside the greatest kings and queen in all of history, spared his uncle's life, met Aslan, became a king, and was now watching his uncle's army surrender to him. _

"_Hey there," a quiet voice came up along side him, breaking him of his thoughts. He looked over to see Susan, smiling up at him. To this, he couldn't help but grin back to her. _

"_Congratulations, Caspian. You deserve today…more than anyone." She said, her crystal blue eyes penetrating the darkness of his own. _

"_Thank you, but it was your victory as well, Queen Susan." He said with a small nudge to her arm, flirting with her as much as possible. _

"_It was everyone's, King Caspian." She smiled, hoping that he wouldn't mind being called something other than 'prince'._

"_Yes. But," he began, now looking down at the rushing water of the ford, "now that it's all over, what's going to happen?"_

"_That's easy. You're going to be the greatest king that Narnia has seen since Peter and Edmund. They can give you tips, if you'd like."_

"_Yes, I would like that. But…what I meant to say, is…what's going to happen to you and your family now?" _

_To this, Susan's smile lessened, and she broke her gaze to look out at the forest surrounding the ford. _

"_I'm not sure. But," she turned back to him, "let's not worry about that just yet, alright?" _

_Caspian looked at her, and realized that she was pleading. He could feel his heart hurt for her, and simply reached down to take her hand. _

"_We don't have to worry about anything, if you don't wish to, my queen." He smiled, using his free hand to brush a stray lock of hair from her face. _

_Susan looked at him, trying desperately not to give in to the irresistible urge to hug him. Maintaining her air, she simply held on to his hand gently, never wanting to let go. _

"_Susan! Susan, where are you?" Edmund's voice was barely audible over the rushing water, but both of them could hear it. _

"_Come on. They're looking for us." She said, tugging on his arm playfully. To this, he pulled her arm so that she flew backwards, eventually coming to a stop on his chest. Laughing, he put his arms around her, making their arms a tangled mess. She laughed along with him, helpless to do anything. _

"_I surrender!" She cried, among gasps for air. He laughed, and gently let her go._

"_Susan!" Edmund's voice could be heard again, before he appeared around the corner of some tall pine trees. When he saw his older sister and the new king, all he could do was chuckle. _

"_Really guys? You two need to get a room." He laughed, leading the other two out to were the rest of the troops were getting ready to leave._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone yelling. It was coming from the outside of her cell door, and growing closer every second. She could tell that it was none other than the knight, Scara.

The door suddenly slammed open, and a fuming Scara walked into the room.

"I think you'll be pleased to know that our plan failed." She said, fire scorched into her voice.

"Excuse me?"

"The warehouse. Something malfunctioned with the dynamite."

"How do you know?"

"Because," Scara said, her voice becoming dangerously angry, "a scout of mine has seen your beloved. Here, in Narnia."

The news didn't seem to register with her at first, so she just sat there, looking at her captor. And then, it hit her.

"Oh my god! You mean…you mean that he's alive? He's here!" That was all that she was able to get out before she lost all sense of propriety, and began to scream and cry with sheer joy.

"ENOUGH."

Through her celebrating, Susan could hear the word slither out of Scara's mouth, like a snake about to strike its prey. Immediatley, she quieted.

"Torin and I have decided that, in honor of this special occasion, that you and the Underground council will be taking a trip to meet him. We will meet on neutral ground-the battlefield in which the first battle for Narnia was fought. I've just dispatched my messenger, so we best get you ready to go."

"Ready to go? Am I not decent now?" Susan asked, watching Scara circle the room.

"No, you aren't." With that, she clapped her hands. A maid then came in, carrying Susan's pink formal gown.

"Put it on."

Susan did what she was told, sad to part with Scara's dress. She carefully put on the pink dress, which was now completely soiled, with dirt, ash, and blood stains all over it. As she slipped the top part of the dress over her body, she realized that something wasn't right.

Someone had cut the sleeves of the dress off, and then proceeded to make hundreds more incisions, all over the dress. She looked like a beggar.

"What have you done? I'm dressed like a queen to meet a thief, but like trash to meet a king? How dare you disrespect not only me, but the king as well?"

"First, you know that I hold no respect for the king, so it doesn't matter. Second, I have no respect for you, so it also doesn't matter. Are we all good here?"

With a smile, Scara then pulled out a long strip of fabric.

"Open up," she said with a laugh, gagging the queen. And then, for an added bonus, she proceeded to pull out a silk bag, which then went over Susan's face. Before she pulled the bag all the way down, however, she smiled.

"Don't worry. It'll be fun."

The queen glared back at her, with everything that she had in her.

Scara just laughed some more, and pulled the rest of the bag over her victim's face…but not before the queen noticed something that hadn't been there before.

A glittering diamond ring on Scara's left hand.

* * *

"A meeting with the Underground?" Caspian asked, in total disbelief.

"Yes, sire. They say…they say that they have the High Queen Susan in their custody."

Caspian stood in his study, listening to a message his servant brought from an Underground messenger. He was at a loss for what to do. He didn't doubt that they had Susan. But, they weren't going to just give her to him. They were going to want something from him in return.

"Torin and Scara wish to meet at the battlefield, today, at noon. How do you wish to respond, my king?"

Pacing his study, the only answer that Caspian could justify was 'no'. But the only way that he could make sure that they did have Susan was if he went. The only way that he could find out what the Underground wanted with him and his people was if he went.

"Sire?"

Finding no other way to respond, Caspian finally decided.

"Saddle my horse, and get four of my council members together. We'll ride in an hour."

* * *

Susan sat, gagged and with a bag over her face, on a horse tied to another soldier's. Torin and Scara rode ahead on separate horses, but still very close together. Scara's new ring shone in the sunlight, causing little dots of color to appear on her and Torin's armor.

She wore her slim armor today, the snake around the triangle engraved into the full front breastplate. She wore wrist guards, boots, pants, and light chainmail. In her boot was her beloved dagger, and on her belt, her sword in its sheath.

Alongside her was her new fiancée, Torin. Today, like all days, he looked undeniably attractive, even to those who hated the Underground the most (Susan). His deep blonde hair cascaded down his face in waves, steadily becoming more blonde from the sunlight.

With Susan, Torin and Scara brought along four soldiers, just so that, if things got ugly, they would all be prepared.

Finally, the party found themselves on the edges of the battlefield. In the distance, Scara could see a single white horse with a rider. And then, four black ones.

"Caspian is here." She whispered to her partner.

"Thank you, Scara," Torin said, turning his horse so that he could talk with his men, "As of right now, I'm not expecting anything funny to go on. It appears as if the king has only brought advisors, not ones who wield a sword on a regular basis. What I want you to do is hide the girl, and don't let him or any of his party see her until I say so. Do you understand?" Nods from his soldiers, "Scara and I will go in first, and then you four will follow with the queen."

He then turned around, nodded to Scara, and then galloped, full speed, into the center of the battlefield, his partner just a few seconds behind him.

Caspian could see the six black horses in the distance, and immediately wished that he had brought more men. Too late for anything now.

To his dismay, he couldn't see Susan anywhere. Maybe they had left her at their headquarters, and had just sent the two leaders? Regardless, it didn't put him in a very good mood at all.

Once the Underground members began their descent into the valley, Caspian followed suit, meeting them in the middle. The first person that he saw was a strikingly young man-just a bit older than him, perhaps-with long, golden hair get off of his horse. The same man then went over to the horse beside him, and offered a hand to the woman sitting there. The lady was also young, with a mane of long silver hair pulled into a magnificent ponytail. This, Caspian concluded, was Torin and Scara.

Caspian got off his own horse, and instructed his council members to do the same. Slowly, he and his party walked over to where Torin and Scara stood. An awkward silence followed, until Torin spoke up.

"Well. I'm sure there's no need for introductions, but I am Torin, and this is my right hand, Scara. We all know your names already, so there's really no reason for you all to tell us them. We've come so that we may make an exchange."

"Name your terms," Caspian said slowly, trying his hardest to make his voice sound intimidating.

"The Underground works either for or against the persons in power. I'm sorry, Caspian, but your uncle gained more respect from us than you ever will. With that being said, our proposition is simple. We want your position as king and all of your council positions." Scara said coolly, in a deadly stare with Caspian.

"In exchange for what?" Councilman De La Moreno piped up from behind the king.

"In exchange for an item that holds great history," Scara began, looking over her nails, "for she was there when some of the first history books were being written."

Caspian could feel his heart thump against his chest uncontrollably. He tried to remain calm and collected, for the sake of his entire kingdom.

"So, Caspian. Our offer to you is as follows. Your position, and all of your council positions, in exchange for Queen Susan the Gentle, High Queen of Old." Scara said, a pleased look on her face.

"How do I know that you're not bluffing? I want to see her before I make any sort of decisions." Caspian declared, hoping that he had brought the discussion to an end. He hadn't.

The king watched as Torin turned around toward his soldiers, and clapped his hands. Suddenly, the mob of soldiers cleared, and there she was. Her hands were bound, and her head was covered with what looked like a sheet. Caspian could feel his heart jump into his throat as he looked at her. The image before him was not one of regality, but one of pity.

One of the soldiers on a horse grabbed the queen's neck, threw her off of her horse, and onto the ground at Torin's feet.

"Stop," Caspian could hear himself say. He was numb. This was the first time that he was seeing his queen in years, and to see her like this-treated like this-made him feel sick.

Torin then grabbed the rope that bound his prisoner's hands and dragged her over to about ten feet in front of the king.

"Stop."

Finally, Torin reached up to the top of the bag, and ripped the silk covering off of her face. What Caspian saw put him on the verge of tears. Susan's face was covered in cuts and bruises, a gag tied tightly around her mouth. Her brilliant blue eyes glistened from the tears that were pouring from them. Her dirty cheeks were streaked with tears, and her chapped lips in pain from the gag.

"I'll let you two have a moment if it influences your decision at all, Caspian." Torin said with a smirk. He then grabbed Scara's arm, and went to go and sit with their soldiers, who were about twenty meters away.

Immediately, Caspian flew to her side, trying desperately to get the gag and the rope around her hands off of her. He was trying his hardest to keep the tears from falling, but when he saw her right arm, there was no holding back. There, a huge gash lay, covering a good portion of her arm (from where Scara pushed her against the dresser).

"Oh, my darling," he breathed through the tears now falling freely from his eyes, "what have they done to you?"

The second that he got both the gag and the bind off of the broken queen, she crawled into his arms, and sobbed. He cried along with her, his head resting on hers, his strong arms holding her as tight as he could without hurting her.

It took only a few seconds for her to quiet down, at which point, she looked up at him with eyes the color of tinted glass.

"You're alive," she whispered, feeling tears of joy beginning to form in her eyes.

He smiled down at her, his own eyes shining with tears.

"Yes," he said, with a quiet, relieved laugh, "we are very fortunate."

"We?"

"Both Edmund and Peter survived as well. Aside from Ed's broken ankle, everyone is alright."

To this, Susan smiled, practically glowing through all of her cuts and bruises. She held on to him tighter, like a drowning victim, clinging for dear life. He followed suit, holding her closely, lightly kissing her head.

"Excuse me, Sire. What exactly do you want to do about this proposition? I think they're waiting." De La Moreno asked, looking at his king.

"There's no way that you can accept it, my lord. It would be foolish beyond all reckoning." Another councilman came in.

"I agree. True, the queen is important, but King Caspian…this is the future of your kingdom." The third one stated his opinion.

"What proposition did they make to you, Caspian?" Susan asked weakly from her place in his arms.

He looked down at her, his heart heavier than a lead weight. Aside from being king, Susan Pevensie was really the second most important thing in Caspian's life. He thought about her constantly, and always played the grueling 'what if' scenarios over and over in his mind. But, his council members were right. This was his kingdom. There was no way that he could just give up everything that he had worked for to his enemies. They could make the Telmarine rulers *all* like Miraz, and in no way did Caspian want that to happen. He was stuck.

"They want my crown and all of my council positions, in exchange for you, my queen."

Susan closed her eyes, hoping that she hadn't heard right. She had.

"Caspian…you and I both know what you have to chose here. I am nowhere near as important as your kingdom-your dynasty. Let them have me, Caspian. Everything will be fine," she said, bringing a small hand up to cup his cheek.

"Susan," he said, pushing a strand of hair out of her face, "you know that I can't do that. I would never, ever, be able to forgive myself."

"I know," she lamented, her fingers now gently twirling his hair, "but you can't just put all of Narnia-thousands of lives-in danger for one person. It just doesn't make sense. Let me go back with them. I promise that everything will be okay." She tried to smile, to cover up the fact that she was absolutely terrified to go back to the caves with Scara and Torin. She wanted nothing more than to just lie here, in the king's arms, forever.

"Beg your pardon, majesties. But…I think I may have an idea." The third councilman said thoughtfully, looking at the king and queen.

The couple on the ground looked up at him with curious faces, hoping for some kind of resolution.

"Let her go back with them, Caspian," the middle aged man said. He could see the young king begin to object, so he continued. "Let her go back with them, and then have one of our people follow close behind, so that at least one of your men knows where the Underground complex is. Then, tonight, we can go to the complex, sneak in, grab the queen, and be on our way."

Caspian looked as Susan, who was obviously thinking the same thing: _Why didn't I think of that earlier?_

"Who would be willing to take on the dangerous mission of following them?" Caspian asked, unsure if anyone would step up.

"I will, sire," came the voice of Councilman De La Moreno, who stepped toward the king and queen.

"Moreno, you are aware of the dangers that come with this quest?" Inquired Caspian, still cradling the queen in his arms.

"I am. And I am willing to accept them. Are you two alright with it?"

"I'm happy if the queen is," Caspian stated quietly, looking down at Susan.

"The idea of getting out of those caves is more attractive than you can imagine. I think that this is a wonderful idea. The caves are confusing, though. You wouldn't happen to have a floor plan would you?" Susan said, half sarcastically.

"Actually," one of the councilmen piped up, "we captured an Underground scout a while back. We let him go, but we kept all of his belongings. With him, he had some sort of map. We didn't have any idea what it was, but now that I think about it, there are very high chances that it was a floor plan."

"I was actually kidding," Susan explained with a tired laugh, "but that will work out wonderfully."

They all stood (and sat) there for a while, before Caspian said, "Gentlemen, do you think you could give the queen and I a moment?"

They bowed to both of them, got on their horses, and went to converse on the far side of the field.

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this, Caspian," Susan said, looking down at her soiled gown, "I'm a mess."

"Which is funny, because I still think that you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen. Messy looks good on you, Susan." Caspian said sweetly, making the queen turn a soft shade of rose.

"This is a rather unfortunate way to reunite, isn't it?" Susan laughed. Caspian just smiled sadly.

"Now that I've actually seen you…I don't think that I can let you go," Caspian sighed, the Spanish accent in his voice melting her heart like butter.

"It's only for a couple of hours, Caspian," Susan said with a smile.

"I know. It's just…" he gazed at her, adoration in his eyes, "I had forgotten how much I really, um…"

She grinned, hoping that he would understand that she felt the exact same way.

"How long do you think it will take to get back to your palace?" Susan asked, taking his hand in her own.

"About a day, going at a leisurely pace. If you were going fast though, you could probably get there in a few hours. Why do you ask?" He replied, trying to savor every moment that he got to hold her in his arms.

"We'll have a solid day to catch up with one another. I want to hear everything that you have to tell me."

"That sounds wonderful," he smiled. She gave him butterflies whenever she was curious as to what was going on in his life.

"Lovebirds!" Torin called with a smirk, "Have an answer for us yet?"

"Yes," came Caspian's answer, the anger beginning to seep into his tone.

Torin and Scara both walked over to them as Caspian helped Susan to stand.

"No." Was all the king said, holding onto the queen's hand.

Both of the Underground leaders shared equally confused looks.

"No?" Torin asked, already forming a new plan in his mind.

"No."

"Fine, then. You'll have to be giving that back to us then," Scara proclaimed, grabbing Susan by her arm, and yanking her over to her.

"Be careful with her," Caspian said dangerously, "She's worth more than all of the goods that you could ever buy or steal combined."

"I seriously doubt that," Scara sneered.

Susan could see Caspian make a small move towards the hilt of his sword. She caught his gaze, and gave a small shake of her head. Casually, he moved his hand back.

"Well. I think that this meeting is over. Thank you for your time, Caspian. It means…so much." Torin said, making it clear that he was unhappy.

"Bring me a horse and some rope for our prisoner," Torin called to one of his soldiers, who obliged. The thief king then bound her hands, tightly. Caspian winced at how constricting the bonds were, against her raw wrists.

He then roughly flung her onto a horse, which was then tied to a soldier's horse.

"We'll skip the gag this time, my lady…but should you make so much as a peep during the ride back, I'll see to it that you are gagged so tightly that your pretty little face will have marks from it…permanently."

"Don't talk to her like that, Torin," Caspian warned hotly.

"I'll talk to my prisoner however the hell I want to, Caspian. Don't try and tell me what I can and cannot do."

He then walked past Scara, who had gotten onto her horse already, and then mounted his own.

"Have a wonderful day," Torin announced before leading his party to the northern end of the field, and onto the horizon.

Caspian watched, as Susan's silhouette disappeared over the hill. With that, he turned to De La Moreno, who took off in pursuit.

After a few minutes, he went and mounted his own horse.

"Time to go. We have to get ready…tonight we save her."

And with that, he spurred his horse, and rode with the three councilmen back to his palace.

Tonight was going to be interesting.

**A/N: Woohoo for updating less than a month apart! Go me! Haha. So. Hey guys! How did you like this chapter? It was a long one…took up 20 pages in Word. :) I kind of feel bad for the lovers…I mad their reunion kind of really crappy. Boo to that. Anywho, if you could read and review, I would love you. Because I love getting reviews. It's kinda like Christmas. You see the email, and you're like, "OOH! REVIEW!" Yeah. Or, that might just be me. Whatever. Ha. So, um, I'm just kind of ranting right now, so I'm gonna go and watch a movie. Yeah. Thanks for reading!**

**~Gabby**

**Ps. Review? Pwetty pwease? (Haha. You really don't **_**have **_**to review, you would just earn cool points from me.)**


	10. Camping, and the Beginning of 12 Days

**Disclaimer: I AM RULER OF THE UNDERGROUND. MUAHAHAHA. Yeah…that's because I basically just own them. Sooo…this is awkward. On to the story!**

The cool darkness of night was beginning to creep slowly into the city of New Telmar, inching its way to the castle. It had been seven hours since the departure of councilman de la Moreno in pursuit of the High Queen.

The news of the Underground, and the deal that they had proposed to Caspian, had snaked its way to the general public, and now energy and adrenaline pulsated freely through the kingdom, every soul awaiting the councilman's return.

None was more anxious than the king, who had taken to his study once he returned, and hadn't come out since. He sat inside the spacious room, racking his brain over floor plans, methods of entering the compound, and other such things. He couldn't let this go wrong.

He had been sitting there for hours, and was beginning to go stir crazy. By now, he had certainly burned the image of the floor plan into his brain, and then some. Deciding that he couldn't sit in that room anymore, he got up from his desk, and walked out.

The air was sweet and warm, the twilight settling nicely in the atmosphere. The moon had already been pulled into the sky, pale in the presence of the oncoming night. Slowly but surely, the creatures of the night began to emerge, and take their place in their kingdom of darkness. All this, the king observed from a suspended open hallway, high above the rest of the palace.

Leaning against the stone railing of the hallway, Caspian took a moment to calm himself, and try to refocus. He had looked out from this angle many times before, but for some reason, tonight was different. His kingdom looked beautiful as always, but tonight it was veiled by both fear and evil, something the land hadn't been accustomed to since the reign of Miraz.

Heaving a small sigh, the king finished gazing, and began his short walk to the west tower's armory. He felt so on edge now. Even the slightest movement out of the corner of his eye would cause him to look over and see what it was. Paranoia was beginning to set in, and all the king wanted to do was be on his way to rescue his queen.

He eventually reached the end of the hallway, which was a dead end. He paused only for a moment, but then began to push on the rock wall. It gave way to reveal that it was actually a door, two parts of the enormous stone slab swinging open to reveal the king's armory. Few knew of this place-only the king and his most trusted.

Sitting inside were four young men, who all stood as Caspian entered the room. He stopped them with a wave of his hand.

"Not now, gentlemen."

He then proceeded to collapse in a huge, throne-like chair in the center of the room. The four then began to take their places in a semicircle in front of him, each putting on his armor, and checking his weapons.

These were Caspian's most trusted soldiers, as well as his best friends. The one sitting to the direct right of him was Javier, the oldest out of the four. With short, curly black hair, and matching eyes, Javier was the only one out of them that was married, with his first child on the way. Next, the scruffy faced, auburn haired Roberto, only a few months older than Caspian. Sitting beside him was Antonio, the prankster of the group, and also the same age as the king. He was the ever flirtatious bachelor, with his deep green eyes. Lastly, directly to Caspian's left, sat the youngest of them all, Dominic. He was younger than the king by almost two years, and was closest to him than all the others. His long dark hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, half of it still covering his face.

The five of them sat in silence for a little while, each of them not quite sure what to do. Finally, Roberto got up and walk past Caspian to the wall behind him. There, mounted on the wall was the king's armor and sword. Gently, he took them off, and carefully brought them over to his king.

"Do not fear, compadre," he consoled in his native Spanish, "we will find her. You'll see. No te preocupes." A charming smile graced his features, followed by a low chuckle, causing Caspian to crack a smile for the first time that evening.

"Si, mi amigo," Antonio agreed, muffled by the chainmail that he was trying to get over his head, "She's going to be fine."

"I have no doubt that the queen is more than capable of handling herself. She knows what she's doing. And sometimes, Caspian, that's the most important thing," Javier said, laying a comforting hand on the king's shoulder. "You best start putting all that armor on."

Looking around at his friends, Caspian felt calm for the first time all day. He smiled at all of them, and then took his armor from Roberto.

"Looks like the king will be able to fight after all," Dominic chuckled, piping up for the first time that evening.

"And better than you, too," Caspian came back with a smile.

"But we all know that I'm the best fighter here," Antonio announced, standing in the middle of their small circle. He was beginning to pose triumphantly, but then Roberto swung his arm back, and punched him right in the stomach. The weaponry erupted with laughter, four men watching the fifth writhe on the floor in pain.

Once everyone had calmed down, they all sat back down in their chairs, putting the last of their armor on. Suddenly, there was a distant bell toll that Caspian immediately recognized as the north tower's. De la Moreno was back.

Every single person in the armory jumped up from where he was standing, and looked at all the others with the same wild look in his eye. Then, in a blink, everyone who wasn't ready was rushing at incredible speeds to be ready. They were all about ready to head out the door, until a rather frazzled Caspian spoke.

"Gentlemen, tonight marks one of the most important nights in our lives. We cannot let the Underground hold the queen for much longer. I fear for her survival, and quite frankly," he paused, unsure of what to say next, "I would really rather...not." He looked at his men, and knew that he really needed to tell them what he felt. "Boys...Queen Susan means so much to me. I don't know what I would do with the knowledge that she's hurt-or being hurt for that matter. Please," He paused again, trying to swallow the unexpected lump in his throat, "please..."

He knew that he wasn't going to be able to get anymore out, so he just looked at his men, who all smiled reassuringly at him.

"We've got this, Caspian," Javier said with a wide grin, and then walked out, with Caspian in the back of the line. Just as Caspian was about to exit the room, however, he noticed that Dominic wasn't with them. He looked back inside, to see him standing over a gold chest that was underneath where the king's armor used to hang. He walked slowly over to him, wondering what he was doing.

"Dominic? What are you..." his question trailed off into the air, as he looked at what his best friend had been looking at. Resting in his hands was an ornately carved wooden box, speckled with precious stones of various sizes. Slowly, Dominic opened it, already knowing what he would find.

There, lying in plush velvet, was the famous ivory horn of Queen Susan the Gentle. Dominic gently brushed his hand over it, before taking it out of the box completely, and holding it out to the king.

Caspian stood there, the feeling of having her horn so close to him bringing back exhilarating memories of things past. Finally, he gently grabbed ahold of the ancient artifact, and attached it to his belt.

"I thought it might help you tonight," the young man stated to his king, who smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you, Dominic." He stated, placing a hand on the soldier's shoulder. They shared a smile, and then carefully put the box back in the chest, closing it. With one last look, they both knew what was about to happen, and dashed out of the room.

* * *

He was angry. He was very angry.

How dare the king refuse his offer? Did he not care about the queen anymore? No...no, that couldn't be it. He had seen them together down on the battlefield. He saw his reluctance to lose her again. Then why had he let her go?

Torin, along with all the other Underground members, had arrived back at the compound, the queen still in their custody.

He had no idea how this had slipped through his fingers. He was so sure that Caspian would have taken Susan with him that he hadn't planned for anything else.

Scara, his new fiancée, sat beside him, on her horse, thinking the exact same question in her head. She had seen the way that Susan had clung to the king, and she knew that she wouldn't have left so willingly.

Torin looked over at his future bride, noticing the look of frustration etched into her features. He knew that the both of them were turning over the same thought in their heads.

"Go for a ride with me," He beckoned, causing the knight to leave her thoughts. She nodded to him, to which he alerted the guard behind him that they were going ahead. The two of them then took off, leaving their party to usher the queen inside.

Once they were at a far enough distance away, the Thief Lord let out a loud grunt of frustration. His beautiful companion reached over to him form her horse, and laid a hand on his armored shoulder.

"How could this have happened?" He questioned in a raised voice, "Everything was going according to the plan."

"I know it was. It would be like Caspian to refuse our offer, though."

"I don't think he understands what he's just given up, Scara. I don't think he knows. He believes that we're going to take her back...and what? Send her home? Let her go back to him? What does he expect?"

"I don't know, Torin. I wish that I had an answer for you." She replied, trying to comfort her master.

"Well whatever he wants us to do with the girl, I shall not oblige. It is my goal to take over Narnia. And one of the only ways that I can do that is by attaining the king's throne. And since he won't give it to us through negotiation, I see no other way of getting it than by sending a message that he won't like very much. And neither will the rest of the world."

"And what is that?"

"Tomorrow morning, I am going to have Queen Susan tortured and executed. She will be killed here, but then I will have one of our men drop her body off in Telmar."

Scara stopped her horse abruptly, causing Torin to stop as well. She looked at him incredulously.

"You want to kill her?" Was the first thing that came out of her mouth.

"I see no problem with doing so," he replied cooly.

"And...you want to put her body in Telmar?" He nodded, "Don't you think that's a little unethical?"

"Why on earth would you think that?"

"It's just...the people don't need to see the bad things that the Underground is responsible for, I don't think. The general public wouldn't be prepared to see one of the most iconic persons in Narnia's history beaten and killed."

"All the bad things that we've done? Scara, the king now knows that we've kidnapped her, and we're currently holding her hostage. I'm more than sure that he has announced that to his people. And besides. It's not about maintaining our reputation. It's about sending a message to the people of Narnia. A message that clearly says that we are here to win the throne."

* * *

The five young men ran frantically through Caspian's palace, trying to get to the stables as fast as they possibly could. Finally, they were there, standing in front of an exhausted de la Moreno. Caspian was the first to greet him, with a brief handshake.

"So. Where was it?" the king questioned, unable to contain his curiosity.

"It's actually not as hidden as we thought that it was," Moreno answered, leaning up against his horse, "You all know where the Golden River is, yes?" All of them nodded, "It's really only twenty minutes north of the river basin. If you leave right away, you should get there early enough for most to still be asleep."

"Thank you, Moreno," Caspian said gratefully, giving him a quick embrace. To this, the councilman nodded, and then gestured them to the horses.

All five of them mounted their own horse, and then quickly rode out of the stable. They were actually doing this.

* * *

Susan, after being carried inside by one of the Underground's henchmen, was now being shoved back into her old cell. She fell on her knees, at which point, one of the men cut the bonds around her wrists. They then walked out, leaving her alone in the cold cell that she remembered so well.

As frightened as she was to be back in the custody of the Underground, as well as Torin and Scara, she couldn't bring herself to feel sad or scared. Caspian, as well as both of her brothers, were alive and mostly well. And she had actually seen the king wither her own two eyes. She had been cradled in his arms. This alone was enough to make her unafraid of what the two Underground leaders might do to her. But then, she now also had the knowledge that he was coming for her. This brightened her spirits to the point of unbreakable.

She looked around at the floor, and found the place where she had scratched the name of the king into the stone. Letting out a small laugh, she went over to where the small white stone lay, and began to go over her previous scratch marks.

_The magnificent parade procession that had just made their way through the streets of New Telmar was finishing up, now back at the front of the palace. Caspian dismounted his horse, in the hopes of catching up with the famous siblings that had ridden behind him. _

_He had just given his horse to the stablemen, when he turned around and was met by the most interesting sight. Peter and Edmund were surrounded by most of the city's women, as well as the others that were interested in meeting the legendary kings of old. Lucy was just talking with everyone, herself drawing a crowd. And Susan...she was being swarmed by the young men of the kingdom. _

_Seeing the woman that he held very strong feelings for being hit on by multiple guys at once made something in the king twinge. Looking onward at his queen, he could see her throw her head back in laughter, her dazzling smile flashing to all of the young men around her. Was she enjoying this? He suddenly felt very angry and jealous of every one of his subjects that surrounded her. _

_Slyly, he entered the back of the group, wanting to see what was going on. He could see one cocky man in the front produce a single flower from his hand, and offer it to her. She smiled graciously, took the flower, and then tucked it behind her ear. He could hear all sorts of compliments fly around him, directed towards her. "You look beautiful today, Queen Susan!" "She always looks beautiful!" "You're such an inspiration to us, my queen!" _

_He was trying his hardest not to intervene, and ruin her moment, but when one of the men broke free of the others, came up to her, and put his hands around her waist, he knew that he had to. He began to frantically push his way through all of the other men, who became increasingly annoyed with him. _

_Finally, he reached the center of the circle, where Susan was trying to politely shove the man away. When the rest of the crowd saw him emerge, they all quieted, and backed up a bit. His sudden jealousy feeding his adrenaline, he tapped the man who held his queen on the shoulder. He turned around, ready to kick whoever had just killed his moment with the queen. His threatening look dissolved in an instant, seeing who had interrupted him._

"_Excuse me, but I believe the queen was with me. I would appreciate it if you would get your hands off of her." _

_The gentleman did as he was told, releasing her from his grasp. She tried to conceal her relieved smile as she walked, gracefully and unfazed, to Caspian. The group dispersed, grumbling about how the king had spoiled their fun. _

_Caspian watched as they left, and then turned his back toward Susan, trying to drain his body of the frustration that he had just experienced. _

"_Hey," the queen said, walking over so that she could face him, "impeccable timing on that one. Thank you."_

_Caspian glanced up at her, her beautiful features telling her truthfulness in her statement. All he could do was smile slightly, and nod. She could tell that something was bothering him, just from that glance._

"_Are you alright, Caspian?"_

"_No," he answered honestly, feeling like a vulnerable child under her gaze. _

"_Whatever is the matter?"_

"_It just bothers me, the way that they were treating you back there."_

"_And how were they treating me?"_

"_Like you were a prize or something. It was just a big game of 'you're so beautiful, you should notice me' and I don't like it. You're so much more than that, Susan."_

"_They were just having fun, Caspian. But thank you for your concern," she said quietly, moving her hand up to his cheek, "It really does mean a lot." She then proceeded to smile at him, to which he couldn't help but smile back.

* * *

_

Caspian and his men could hear the rush of the water flowing through the Golden River fade behind them, as they continued the quick journey. Now, however, they slowed down, so that they could deal with their strategy. Night had fallen, making their goal to stay unnoticed a little bit easier.

"Okay. So ideally, I would like this whole operation to go like this," Caspian announced, as they urged their horses forward slowly, "I want to be as quiet and under the radar as possible. I know that they'll have some guards out on patrol, and unfortunately, I think the only way that we're going to get in is by shooting them. I think that I'll be the only one that goes into the compound, and I want all four of you keeping guard of the entrance. I'll go in, get Susan, and then get out. Sound good?"

All of them nodded, knowing the importance of their work tonight.

They rode quietly and slowly, keeping their pace, until finally, they reached it.

It didn't look like much at first. It was a simple mound that rose up from the ground about fifteen feet or so, with grass covering the whole thing. There was a small opening near the base of the mound, which served as an opening. And, as the king had suspected, two armed guards stood watch near the entrance.

Caspian knew that he couldn't fail her now. Not while he was so close. He veered to the left, where there was some spotty tree coverage. His men followed him, Javier and Antonio drawing their crossbows, and loading them quietly.

Everyone got out of the way, as the two archers got off of their horses, and moved toward the front of the trees. They watched as they took aim at the soldiers, one soldier per one archer.

"On three," Javier whispered to Antonio, who nodded his head, "one...two...three!"

The sound of the crossbows firing mixed with the hiss of two arrows, each zooming toward its target. Finally, the group could see the two guards fall, both hit.

"Well done, boys," Caspian whispered excitedly, still sitting on his horse, "Okay. Here's the plan. I'm going to go in, and once I go through that door, I want you all to come in and cover the door. Alright? Here we go."

With one last smile toward his men, the king spurred his horse, and then breached the safety of the trees. He rode quickly and quietly down to the entrance, where he dismounted his horse, drew his sword, and then ran in without a second thought.

The inside of the compound was unlike anything that Caspian had ever pictured the Underground living in. It was much like the caves that composed Aslan's how. The walls and floors and ceiling were made out of solid rock, and he thought that he could hear the faint sound of waterfalls. He stood there a moment before he realized that he had no idea where he was going.

He shut his eyes for a moment, bringing up the floor plan that he had spent all day imprinting in his memory. Letting his feet wander while he thought, he now knew where he was going. He knew that the queen wouldn't be in the regular prison cells-she was too important of a prisoner. He was going to have to look in the cells that were closest to where the great hall was, along with the two leader's rooms.

Sword in hand, he dashed through the tunnels, every second that passed making him want to find her more. Finally, he reached a dead end hallway, with a single door at the end. He could see the flickering light of a torch from a small crack under the door. She had to be in there.

The only problem was, there was a guard standing in front of the door. Looking closely, the king noticed that there was a solitary key hanging from his neck, on a long golden chain. There was no way that he could get by him undetected, so it was now up to improvising.

He jumped out in front of the guard, and automatically started slashing at him. The guard had very little time to react before Caspian kicked his legs out from underneath him, causing him to fall to his knees. Without warning, the king took the hilt of his sword, and hit the top of the guard's head, rendering him unconscious.

He carefully lifted the chain off of the man's neck, palming the heavy key in his hand. Quietly, he slid the key into the lock, and turned it to the left. The massive door heaved a groan, and opened.

There, sleeping on a bench, was his lovely queen. Silently, he walked over to her, and knelt by where she slept. With a soft smile, he brought his hand up to her arm, and gently placed his hand on it. This caused her eyes to flutter open, and look at him somewhat groggily. It took her a moment to realize who it was, and the situation she was in, but when she did, jumped up from her bench, and gave her king a hug that almost knocked him over.

He smiled, kissing her head lightly.

"Come. We must go. They don't know that I'm here yet." Caspian said, trying to focus. He was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate with the beautiful Susan by his side. She took his hand, and he led them out of her cell, and into the labyrinth of tunnels.

They were able to figure their way towards the entrance without very much trouble, and finally the door was in sight. Suddenly, though, an all too familiar voice rang out.

"Leaving us so soon, Queen Susan? And with the enemy, too? Shame."

The Thief Lord's voice could be heard from all directions, making it very hard for either the king or the queen to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. Caspian pulled Susan behind him, and drew his sword.

"Torin," he called out to the emptiness, "Torin, where are you?"

"Do you really think that I wouldn't know that you were here? You come into my world, and try and take my own prisoners from me? Oh, Caspian. That's not how things work."

In the light of the torches on the walls, both Susan and Caspian could see a flash of silver, so fast that they almost didn't see it. They then saw the sparks that emerged from one of the stone walls as the silver streak hit it. It was a sword. Torin was armed.

"Susan," Caspian whispered, still shielding her, "I want you to run outside as fast as you can, when I say to, alright? There are soldiers out there. They're loyal to me. Wait with them, okay?"

"Okay, she whispered back, squeezing his hand gently, "please be careful."

"As always, my queen," he replied with a small smile, "Ready? Go!"

She ran, as fast as she could out the opening to the cave, but not before hearing a fearsome battle cry from Torin, and the clashing of steel.

"Torin," Caspian yelled, "why are you doing this? Why can't we just come to some sort of agreement...like decent men?"

"You know, Caspian," came the chillingly calm voice of the Thief Lord, "you think that we can be decent men, in an indecent world. There is no more room for flaws. I've come too far to simply talk it over with you."

With that, he lunged into the light, sword gleaming. Caspian looked at him, his blonde hair flowing behind him, blue eyes storming with fury. He slashed at Caspian more, the king able to block all of his attempts.

Suddenly, there were footsteps coming from the corridor in front of them. Both men turned and looked to see who was coming. Then, from the shadows, came the slender figure of a woman, with long, silver hair streaming down her face.

"Torin...darling, what's going on?" A still groggy Scara asked her fiancee. She was dressed in nothing but her simple silk nightgown, with no sort of weapon whatsoever.

Caspian took advantage of this distraction, and began to slowly back away. Torin saw this, however, and grabbed onto the back of the king's armor, which sent Caspian crashing into him.

Flustered, he pulled himself away from the Thief Lord, only to hear the horrified cry of Scara. He looked at Torin, who was now wide eyed, and slowly sinking to the floor. Looking down, Caspian could see his own sword, protruding from the other man's abdomen.

_Oh my god. I kept my sword up when I ran into him. Oh my god. I might have just killed Torin._

Scara had flung herself onto the ground, next to her dying fiancee. She carefully removed the king's sword, and flung it on the ground at his feet. All she could do was try and comfort him, and he faded.

Caspian quickly grabbed his sword, and ran out, horrified.

* * *

Susan, Javier, Dominic, Roberto, and Antonio were all outside the compound, anxiously awaiting the sight of Caspian.

Finally, the king walked out, bloody and flustered. Susan immediately jumped off of his horse, and ran over to him. She put her arms around his torso, and looked up at him. He looked as if he was going to cry. She felt his knees give out from underneath him, and she struggled to hold him up.

It was then that Javier and Dominic both dismounted their horses, and helped get him off her, and then threw him over his horse.

"I wonder what happened," Susan questioned softly, as she mounted Caspian's horse with him.

"Alright, men," Javier announced happily, "Well done. Welcome to the group, Queen Susan-we're very glad that you're alright. We need to find a place where Caspian can rest for the next couple of hours, he's had quite a strenuous day. As soon as we get out of detectable range from the compound, we should set up camp. Agreed?"

The rest of the men, as well as the queen, nodded, and then began their journey back to New Telmar.

After an hour of riding, the group came across a nice grassy area in the Northern Woods. A small creek flowed to the side of the grass, making it an excellent spot for fresh water.

"My lady," Dominic came up to Susan, as the other men were getting Caspian off of the horse, "If you could keep an eye on the king, we'll be able to set up a fire, and get some food. If that's alright."

"Of course it is. But...no tents?"

"It's only about three hours till dawn, your highness." He stated with a grin.

"Ah. Thank you," she laughed, "Of course I'll watch him."

As the rest of the men bustled about, getting firewood, water, and food, Caspian was sitting against a tree, just now regaining consciousness. He tried leaning forward, but was met by a blitzing headache. Grunting in pain, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Oh, darling, be careful," a gentle voice said from beside him. He could feel hands gently massaging his temples, cool and smooth. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring into the face of an angel. Susan sat in front of him, her hands roaming his face, a worried expression on her features.

"Susan..."

"Shhh. You've been through a lot the past couple of hours."

It was then, that everything that had happened prior to him passing out came back to him. Rescuing Susan, running through the caves, fighting Torin..._killing_ Torin.

"Oh my god," he breathed, his eyes beginning to mist over.

"Caspian?" Susan asked worriedly, "Caspian, what's wrong?" She scooted herself closer to him.

"I killed him. I...I killed him."

"Killed who?"

"Torin," he admitted, his voice breaking, "I killed Torin. That was the first person who I've ever killed that I've actually watched...watched die."

A single tear fell from his eye, and he didn't even bother to wipe it away.

"Oh, Caspian," Susan breathed blinking away her own tears, "I'm sorry. I..."

All she could do was move even closer to him, and wrap her arms around him in a hug. He buried his head into her shoulder, shaking with silent tears. She ran her fingers through his hair lovingly, and rubbed his back.

He clung to her, one hand around her waist, and the other rubbing her arm. Even though the events that he had just been through terrified him, he hadn't felt so comforted since his mother had died. Everything seemed so...right...when he was with Susan. As he sat there with her, he felt her calmness wash over him, like a cool breeze.

She finally pulled away from him, her smile melting his anxiety. Cupping both sides of his face, she used her thumbs to brush away the last couple of tears. With a small laugh, she stood up, observing the last of the blankets being laid down for them to catch a bit of sleep on.

"Come on, darling," Susan said, pulling the king to his feet, "You need to get some rest." He smiled at her, took her hand, and then walked over to where the other men were finishing setting up their beds.

"Well, look who decided to join us," Antonio laughed, while getting into bed, "Welcome back, Caspian."

The other men smiled and nodded, all already under the covers of their "beds", which were nothing more than a pile of blankets on the ground. They were laid out in a circle, a blazing fire in the middle. Caspian and Susan found a set of beds next to each other, and both laid down.

It had been a long day.

* * *

Her hands were covered in the blood of her fiancee. Strands of her hair clung to her wet face, stained with tears. She hadn't moved in more than an hour, cradling her love in her arms. His eyes were closed, the world no longer fit to see the dark blue in them.

Scara couldn't move. She couldn't cry anymore. She sat there, frozen, waiting for someone to come and find her. Torin had died about an hour ago, in a great amount of pain.

_This is the second time that this has happened to me, _she thought,_ Fiancée. Dead. Killed by a Caspian. _

She let out a scream of pure anger and hatred, the sound reverberating off the stone walls. She could then hear the footsteps of other people rushing through the hallways, to see what was going on.

Eventually, her two henchmen, Hagar and Jyre, arrived, carrying their weapons. They looked at her, and then looked at Torin.

"Oh my god," was all that either of them managed to say.

"What happened here?" Jyre asked, staring at his master's dead body.

"Susan and Caspian," the knight answered, not looking at either of them, "He came to get her. They were on their way out when Torin stopped them. He and Caspian fought...and Caspian won. They're long gone by now."

By then, more and more people were beginning to show up to the scene, each one gasping as they witnessed the sight. It was then that Scara finally looked up at everyone.

"Take him...and clean him up. Dress him in the finest clothes that he owns," she commanded, looking at a group of soldiers. They did as they were told, and gently lifted him from her arms. She then turned to the rest of the group.

"From this moment forward, I will be exhibiting twelve days of mourning. In those twelve days, there will be no fighting, unless provoked to do so. Understood?"

The people standing in the small entry way stood there, flabbergasted, but agreed silently. One of her generals, however, objected.

"Scara, you are now the leader of the Underground. It is our goal to take over the throne, and we can't very well do that while we're sitting here doing nothing. It's just not logical to stop everything now."

Scara turned to him, fire in her eyes. She took hold of the general's nightshirt collar, and slammed him into the wall behind him.

"I don't give a damn about logic right now, General Ramirez," she said quietly, each word dipped in poison, "And you wouldn't either, had you known what I've just lost."

She released him, holding back a fresh wave of tears, and then ran back into the darkness of the tunnels.

* * *

He woke to the delicious smell of something cooking. Cracking his eyes open, he could see that Javier and Roberto were awake, Roberto stoking the fire, and Javier tossing herbs into what appeared to be a cauldron hanging over it.

Rolling over to his right, Caspian could see Dominic and Antonio, still fast asleep. He rolled back over to his left, and smiled. There was Susan, still asleep, curled up in all her blankets.

He was so happy that she was alright. A few cuts and bruises, but other than that, she was here, and okay. He couldn't imagine what she had to go through to get to this point, though. The tactics that the Underground used on its prisoners were feared throughout Narnia. He shuddered at the thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Questioned a sweet voice next to him.

He turned around to see Susan, her million dollar smile making her face glow beautifully. Had he been standing, Caspian knew that he would be weak in the knees.

"Just about how glad I am you're okay," he admitted unashamedly, reaching over to take hold of her hand. She laughed softly.

"I'm glad, too," she sighed, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles, "What smells delicious, by the way?"

"I think the boys have prepared breakfast for all of us," he replied, standing, "Let's have a look, shall we?"

* * *

She stood at the head of a makeshift alter, in the throne room, dressed in a beautiful black ball gown. A sheer veil covered her face, masking her features in a soft black tint. She stood there, with her followers around her, and watched as a group of soldiers brought their slain leader out on an ornate stretcher.

He was wearing a flowing green shirt, with an elaborately decorated white coat. His wounds had been cleaned, and his hair washed. They placed him onto the altar, in front of his now widowed fiancée.

Stepping down from the front of the altar, Scara came down beside her former lover. Suppressing the last of her tears, she took a gloved hand, and gently placed it on the side of his face. She then took a single, long stemmed, red rose from behind her back, and placed it in his grasp. Taking a step back, she let the rest of her followers pay their last respects.

Eventually, the crowd whittled down to just her and her, and the other leaders in the Underground. Sitting down in Torin's throne, the knight ripped the veil off of her face, revealing a very sickly looking woman underneath.

Her face was streaked with tears, and it looked hollow. The light was gone from her eyes, as she sat there, looking at her leaders. They sat in silence for a few moments, until one of them spoke up.

"My lady," the middle aged man started, "don't you think, that as Torin's right hand, it would be proper for you to take the lead of the Underground at this time?"

Turning her head slowly towards the man who spoke, the knight shot him a look that would frighten death.

"No. I will not take the throne of the Underground until my twelve days have expired. If I am going to mourn, I must not have the job that he had when he died. It still feels like stealing it from him. So, no."

"So…we will be doing nothing then, my lady?" The same man pressed again, "Because that's what you seem to suggest."

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting. I don't want any battle preparations, any weaponry made…I just want everyone to note what they've lost." She replied, gritting her teeth.

"You mean…what _you_ lost," said the man quietly. Scara heard him, though, and flew up from her seat.

"How _dare_ you?" she seethed, on the verge of exploding with anger, "You mean to tell me that Torin never did anything for you? Anything? Come on, Anthony. You know you can't say that," he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "You can't say that because _he_ was the one that hired you here. _He _was the one that allowed you to keep food on the table for your family. _He was the one who helped you when you needed it!_"

She was yelling now, unable to help it. Anthony was shrinking, farther and farther, into his seat, wishing that he hadn't said anything.

"GET OUT!" She screamed, wanting nothing more than to be left alone. All the men that were in the room were suddenly running toward the door, trying frantically to get out. Finally, the last one ran out the door, shutting the heavy brass doors behind him.

She was alone, for the first time in the past couple of hours. She welcomed the silence, like an old friend. Walking back over to where Torin lay, she smoothed out his clothes, and ran her fingers through his hair.

It was then that the torches that lit the room flickered such that the light caught her engagement ring, making it sparkle. She looked down at it, heartbroken.

"Why did you have to leave me?" she whispered to the man before her, wishing he would answer her.

She knelt down, at the altar, feeling an oncoming of tears in her eyes. Leaning over, she placed her head on Torin's chest, and began to cry.

_Caspian was going to pay for this with everything that he was.

* * *

_

They had been traveling for six hours now, after having spent most of the day at their campsite, recuperating. It was close to dinner, so they decided to set up camp. They decided to spend the night on the grassy shores of Beaver Lake. There were a few old trees scattered around the area, and a huge lake in front of them.

"Alright you two," Roberto said to the king and queen, while unloading tents and blankets from his saddlebag, "You have to set up your own tents today."

"Or maybe the man could be chivalrous, and set up his woman's tent for her!" Antonio yelled from the inside of his tent, overcome by a fit of laughter.

"He does have a point, Caspian," Javier smirked, walking by with an armful of blankets.

"Would you like me to set your tent up for you, my lady?" Caspian asked, laughing, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"We can do it together, good sir," she came back with, before giving a light chuckle.

Together, they took two tents from their saddlebags, and walked over to where the rest of them were setting up. Caspian then ran back to get some blankets, and by the time he came back, Susan had her tent half way set up.

"Would you like some help?" He asked, still holding a stack of blankets in his arms.

"No thank you, I think I'm alright," she said with a smile, hard at work getting the last half of her tent up.

He smiled, and then walked over to where his own tent lay, ready to be put up.

* * *

Rolling over for what felt like the thousandth time that night, Susan sat up in bed, unable to sleep. She fluffed her pillow some more, and then laid her head back down, to no avail. She let out a frustrated groan, and sat back up.

She could see the dim light of the waning fire through the fabric of her tent, knowing that the boys were getting ready to go to bed. Deciding it best not to bother them, she remained in bed, not sure of what to do.

It was then that she could see the silhouette of a man walk past her tent, down toward the shore. Now curious, she gently swung her legs off of her bed, and stood up, walking toward the flaps of her tent.

Peeling the right flap up just enough for her to see, she noticed that the fire was little more than embers, but still, Caspian's men sat around it. She then turned her gaze to the beach, where a solitary figure was laying a blanket down on the grass. She watched, as the man sat down on the blanket, turning his head up to look at the stars. She knew that the man on the beach was Caspian. _What is he doing_?

Grabbing her light cardigan and putting it on over her nightgown, she quietly exited her tent, making her way down to the beach.

"Do you mind if I join you?" She asked quietly, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked to see who wanted to join him, and grinned brightly.

"But of course, my queen," he said sweetly, scooting over on the blanket. She smiled at him, and sat down next to him. After a while, he laid down, one hand behind his head, the other outstretched on Susan's side of the blanket. She followed suit, lying down on Caspian's arm, which he didn't withdrawal.

They looked up at the skies, getting totally lost in the moment.

"Look!" She suddenly whispered excitedly, while pointing to the heavens. He smiled as he watched a star streak across the night, its tail blazing. "You never see shooting stars in London…there are always too many lights on!"

"You mean those funny looking torches?"

She laughed out loud. "Yes."

They both watched as more and more falling dots of light danced around in the sky, amazing both of them.

"You know," Susan began, a little quieter than before, "In London, there's a silly saying that if you wish on a shooting star, your wish will come true."

"Would you wish…if you saw one?" Caspian asked, casting his head down to lightly kiss the top of her head.

"Well. Seeing as its childish, illogical, and just an urban legend," she began, feeling him tense slightly, "of course I would." She ended with a small laugh.

"What would you wish for?" he asked, relieved that she hadn't thought him stupid for asking about wishes.

"Oh, you know. Passing grades…a good job…you."

The last part of her sentence came out so quietly that it was almost a whisper, but he heard it. It took all of his strength to maintain some boundaries with her, with his new commitment that he had to uphold with the other woman in his life. But her answer didn't just tug at his heartstrings-it sliced them clean in two. He wanted nothing more than to shrug off his marriage to Ethine like it was a bad dream, and then take Susan as his queen.

"Well, I'm here with you now," he said, grinning down at her, his thick Spanish accent melting her brain into a puddle of mush.

"Yes, you are, and I'm very grateful for that."

She knew full well that as they were talking with each other, their faces were getting closer and closer together, until his mouth was dangerously close to her own. The logical part of Susan was screaming at her that there were too many unknown variables at this point with Caspian, and that she needed to wait off on him until she was able to sort out everything. But the queen in her head told her to run with her heart, not from it. She had been, and to this day, was, in love with the king, why deny her feelings now?

Whereas in Caspian's head, the noble and honorable king in him was telling him that he was married to another woman, and even though his feelings for Susan were strong, they shouldn't overpower the feelings that he should have for his wife. But then, the prince that he was three years prior to today was overwhelming the king, and urged him to move along and love her.

A loud splash interrupted both of their thoughts, and they both looked around to see Caspian's men diving into the lake, and tackling each other once they were all in the water.

Both Susan and Caspian started laughing as they watched them, until he gently placed his hand on her chin, and turned her to face him again.

"Maybe this time, you won't have to leave me," he said, delicately running his thumb over her collar bone. She closed her eyes slowly, and gave into her warm touch.

"Maybe," she opened here eyes to see him smiling at her. She couldn't help but smile back at him; he was just too much for her. She leaned over to him, and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, deciding that it was the farthest she would go without getting them into any trouble. He held her to him for a moment, before he let her go, and stood up.

"Caspian?" She questioned, sitting up confusedly. He looked down at her with a mischievous grin on his face.

"If you'll excuse me, my lady, I have some business to attend to."

"Business? What kind of…" She stopped dead, mid-sentence, as the dashing king that stood before her began to take off his flowing white blouse. Her mouth was dropped open as the rest of the shirt came off, showing off his beautifully tan, well sculpted torso, as well as his toned arms. He noticed her staring, and smiled to himself; she drove him up the wall. He looked back at her, gave her a small wink, and then took off running towards the lake.

She stood up from her place on the blanket, and laughed as Caspian dove into the water, and then began to wrestle around with his best friends. She shed her cardigan, and then ran over to the sandy beach, in front of the king and his friends.

"Boys!" She yelled, laughing, "Don't kill each other, please!"

She looked around at the boys splashing around in the water, and did a head count. There were only four. She scanned the surface of the lake, and noticed that the one missing was none other than the king.

"Caspian?" She yelled out his name above the laughs and the splashes of the men. They were all now turning to laugh at something behind her. Before she even had time to turn around, she felt a pair of strong, wet arms come around her waist from behind her. She was then lifted off of the ground, and tossed into the lake.

**A/N: Holy goodness on toast. Wow, this chapter has taken a LOOOONG time to put up. I am so sorry, you guys. Haha. But I made a goal that I was going to get you all a Christmas present, so here it is! What did you think? Sorry for the plot being all jumpy-I was trying to juggle 3 character's stories at once. Crazy. :) Well. That's all I have to say for right now…I hope that you enjoyed the chapter, and I wish you all a very merry holiday season. Love you!**

**~Gabby 3**


	11. Meeting the Queen, and Dancing

**Disclaimer: Dear C.S. Lewis, how I wish I owned your marvelous characters. Unfortunately, I don't. Sad. I do own Scara, though. Yay!**

**A/N: This chapter took up 20 pages in Microsoft word, it has 9,532 words, and it only took a month and eight days to post. Which is better than I normally do. Haha. Just to let you guys know. :)**

Before she could even think, Susan found herself flying through the air, destined for the lake below her. She braced herself the best she could, praying that the water wasn't too cold.

She hit the surface of the water with a splash, and proceeded to go under. From underneath the bubbles, she could hear the sound of someone diving in after her, knowing it was Caspian. Opening her eyes, she found the warm water remarkably clear to see in. Glancing to her right, she could see Caspian, swimming up to the surface of the water.

Taking this opportunity, she swam quietly up to him, watching his legs kick slowly in the water. Coming up right beside him, she reached up to grab his shoulders, sending him back under, and pushing her up.

She breached the surface with a small splash, laughing. The other four men were around her, laughing as well, seeing what she had just done to their comrade. After a few seconds, he surfaced, pushing wet strands of hair out of his face.

Once his face was visible, everyone could see a mischievous grin dancing on his features. It only lasted a moment, though, as Dominic and Roberto opened fire, and began to splash the two in the middle mercilessly. The rest of the boys soon joined in, attacking them.

Both laughing, Susan quickly swam over toward Caspian, and buried her head into his chest, seeking protection. He happily obliged, wrapping his strong, soaking arms around her, shielding her from the water. He could feel her back shaking with laughter, causing him to laugh harder still.

After a few seconds, the splashing of water stopped, replaced by the low rumble of five young men laughing. Susan still held on to the king, laughing as well. Pulling apart from him for a second, she looked up at him with a childish glimmer in her eyes. Dipping her hand under the water, he watched his confused look with amusement. Suddenly, she flicked her hand up, splashing water in his face.

He looked down at her, his face plastered with a look of utter surprise, with a hint of a smile shining through. Without another second's hesitation, he captured Susan in his arms, holding her tightly. She fought him, laughing so hard that her sides were beginning to hurt, until he managed to drag both of them under the water.

After a few seconds, they both surfaced together, completely drenched. Laughing, the group began to swim back to the shore, to dry off. Getting out of the water first, Caspian helped Susan out, smiling as she plucked strings of wet hair off of her face. He walked over to where his shirt lay, and began to put it on, but was stopped by Susan clearing her throat. He looked over to see her hand outstretched, a smile on her face.

With a small laugh, he took his shirt off, and handed it to her. She grinned back at him, took the shirt, and went into her tent. She was adorable.

* * *

The late night swim made it hard for anyone to even attempt sleeping, so the boys restarted the fire, and were now sitting around it, talking. Caspian had found himself a new, clean shirt, awaiting the arrival of the young woman who was now wearing his old one.

"So, Caspian," Antonio began, glancing at the king through the flames, "never thought you one to fall for a queen of old. How'd that happen?"

"Fall for? I have no idea what you're talking about," he came back with, feeling his face flush. He pulled a blanket over his shoulders, hoping to hide his face.

"Oh, come on. You know exactly what we're talking about," Roberto chuckled.

"We've seen you. The way you look at her? You look just like Javier when he's around Dianna. And they're married!" Antonio remarked, causing Javier to shrug.

"I think it's pretty obvious that you love her, Caspian," Dominic began, unfazed by the king's attempts to cut in, "and that might present us with a small problem."

"Yeah…I think the fact that he's just married could be a slight hindrance," Javier stated sarcastically, "What exactly do you plan to do about Lady Ethine, Caspian? You can't divorce her-she and her family would be heartbroken, and the public would be disappointed in you. And you can't kill her, because…well you can figure that one out on your own."

"I don't know. Apparently, it's rather obvious that I'm in love with Susan. And she has to come back to the palace with us tomorrow. How am I supposed to hide this?" He sighed, while running a hand through his hair, "I don't know how to tell Ethine, or the public. But then, that's not fair to Susan. And...I just don't know what to do."

"What's all the fuss about?" A sweet voice, with a familiar English accent came from the darkness.

They all looked around, until Susan came into the light. She was dressed in Caspian's white blouse, which was two times too big for her, and some long pajama pants. She took a seat next to the king, who took the blanket off of himself, and put it around her. He thought that she looked absolutely beautiful…wearing his clothes. She accepted it with a small, confused smile.

"We were just talking about how you would be coming to the palace tomorrow, my lady," Dominic covered for the rest of the group.

"That's very true. I'm excited," she stated with a grin.

"I'm glad that you are, my lady," stated Caspian, flicking a sweet glance at her. He could sense the other four rolling their eyes.

They talked for another good hour, watching the fire slowly whittle down to a glowing heap of embers and ash. Eyelids were starting to droop, tired shivers were creeping over tired bodies, and heads were beginning to cloud with sleep.

"Alright everyone," Javier stated before yawning, "We should get to bed." The rest of his comrades smiled. Javier, always the grown up.

"Agreed," Antonio replied in a strained voice, arching his back in a stretch.

They all stood up, finally realizing how frigid the night air was against their sensitive skin. Susan wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders, eager to crawl into her warm bed. They took a moment to get used to standing, before Caspian spoke softly.

"We'll see you in the morning, then." He nodded towards his troops. They all smiled at him and the queen, and then went to their tents.

"Would her highness allow me the honor of escorting her to her tent?" The king whispered, his gaze now fixed on his lovely queen. Well, he wanted her to be his, anyway.

"I would very much like that, thank you," she replied, almost too tired to keep her eyelids open. Caspian could see this, so he brought her into his warm arms. She nuzzled her head underneath his chin, in the crook of his neck. She could then feel his arm gently lifting her legs up, so that he was carrying her.

She felt like she was floating, as he carried her effortlessly to her tent. Once they finally reached the destination, he gently placed her feet on the ground before him. She looked up at him sleepily, so many words and feelings that she wanted to say threatening to get passed her weakened defenses.

Looking down at her, he could see a look of love deep within her crystal blue eyes. His heart throbbed in his chest, and he hoped to Aslan that she couldn't hear it. Everything about her drove him crazy. From her sparkling ocean eyes to her full lips, her sweet and clear voice to her luscious curves. In all, she was the closest thing to perfect that he had ever seen – and she had a personality to match. She was more than everything he had ever wanted.

"If it isn't too bold to say, my queen," he began, Spanish accent making her mind succumb to his will, "I could gaze upon your beautiful face till my eyes couldn't stay open any longer." His eyes met hers, light against dark.

"Your boldness is appreciated, sire," she managed to get out, in a hushed voice. The corners of her mouth curled upward, a sweet smile manipulating her mouth. She then stood on her tiptoes, bracing herself on his chest. Leaning her neck to the side, she gently pressed her lips to his cheek, making him shudder slightly. She grinned against his skin, and then pulled away. Giving him one last look, she winked, and went into her tent.

Caspian stood there for a moment, replaying what had just happened in his head. Casting a glance at her tent, he couldn't help but smile like an idiot. He began to walk towards his tent, the cold air reminding him of the fact that a warm body used to be against his. With a shiver, he entered his tent, and eagerly hopped into his bed. As he laid his head against the pillow, he felt a low chuckle escape his lips - his dreams would now, undoubtedly, be filled by the beautiful High Queen.

* * *

After hours of unsuccessful trying, Scara had finally managed to fall into a fitful sleep. Images of Torin, dead and alive, kept crawling into her nightmares. She could see him smile, the one thing she loved most about him. The next image would be the fading of the light in his eyes, shrinking away.

She tossed and turned in her sleep, mangling the silk sheets of her bed. Finally, her eyes opened. She ran a hand over her face. She was sweating, but she felt so cold. Long wisps of silver hair clung to her exposed chest, it too drenched in sweat. In all of this, she could just faintly feel the sting of a hot tear meeting the skin of her cheek. Too tired to care, she let the salty droplet roll down her face, and onto her pillow.

With a sigh, she pulled back the covers, shuddering at the dark cold of the caves. She grabbed her lace robe, put it on, and then opened the door of her room. She was automatically greeted with an empty hallway, warmer than her room, ablaze with torches. Her feet light on the stone floor, she began to walk.

She walked the length of the hallway, into the central chamber. Here, water poured down from a hole in the ceiling into a pool on the floor. More torches illuminated this room, making it the brightest in the whole complex. Numerous stone benches, along with a few plush chairs, populated the area, where most people sat down during the day.

Over the water, she could hear a faint noise. The sound of singing voices carried throughout the complex, quiet as a ghost. In the Underground culture, it was traditional to lament the death of a leader in various ways. The leaders and elders, such as Scara, would exhibit twelve days of no war, and no planning of any kind. The citizens, however, would have the day of Song, where the well known citizens would gather, and sing their laments to the fallen.

She stood there for a moment, the sound of the falling water calming her restless soul. She remembered this place fondly-it was where she and Torin had eaten lunch nearly every day. During the daytime, the area bustled with activity, and by night, it was a vacant place where one could lay their thoughts.

With a small smile, she continued walking. After another few minutes or so, she found herself standing in front of a familiar pair of ornate doors. With a deep breath, she pushed them open.

Torin's room was exactly as she had always known it. In fact, it looked like he would be coming right back. The bed was unmade; the desk covered in papers, even some of his clothes still covered the floor. She smiled sadly, wishing nothing more than to have the handsome Underground leader with her.

Taking off her skimpy robe and throwing it to the floor, Scara crawled into Torin's bed, pulling up the covers behind her. As she lay her head down on the pillow, she could smell the faint scent of citrus and musk-his smell. Feeling as though he was almost with her, the knight finally fell deep asleep with a faint smile on her face.

* * *

The light of the soft morning sun shone through the fabric of tents, the muted light making everything glow. As the first ray of sunshine touched her face, Susan blinked her eyes open. For the amount of sleep she got, she felt better rested than she had in a very long time.

She reached her arms above her head, groaning as she stretched. It was then that she remembered that she was wearing the king's shirt. As she thought about the situation, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Here she was, with the King of Telmarine Narnia, and his four best soldiers…also known as his best friends. She had splashed around with all of them in a lake. She was wearing the king's clothes. She had been around a campfire with some of the most respected men in Narnia. Joking around and having fun.

To the average person, this would sound completely absurd. But to her, it was making her happier than she had been since she had left Narnia.

Rolling out from underneath her covers, she shrugged her cardigan on, suddenly smelling something delicious cooking. Pulling the flaps of her tent apart, she was greeted by a much more intense ray of sun, making her squint.

After recovering, she made her way over to the, now blazing, campfire, where five groggy young men sat, the oldest making breakfast.

"Good morning, everyone," she said happily, causing five Hispanic faces to turn towards her, each one smiling. They all sat up a little straighter, as the queen took a seat in between Dominic and Roberto.

"What's for breakfast, Javier," she questioned, pushing up the sleeves of her too-big shirt, "It smells wonderful." She glanced at the king as she asked, who caught her gaze with a smile.

"Today, my lady," Javier began, glancing into the kettle that hung low over the fire, "we have wild herbs and vegetables, all in a chicken broth."

"It sounds, and smells, fantastic," she complimented, trying her hardest not to meet Caspian's eyes, which were staring at her. After a little while, she gave in, her bright eyes meeting his dark ones. She watched as he mouthed something to her, making her nod.

_We need to talk later._

The rest of breakfast was uneventful, with the exception of all the stolen glances between the king and queen. Neither of them had forgotten about their somewhat romantic encounters last night, a fact that was driving both of them insane.

They both left breakfast a bit early, to go and take down their tents. They waited until the rest of the men were occupying themselves with taking their own tents down, and then they both left, destined for the shore.

"You wanted to talk?" Susan asked, the slight breeze blowing her hair all around her face, and make the sleeves of the shirt she was wearing billow. To Caspian, she looked stunning. As usual.

"I did. Thank you for meeting with me," He began, tucking his hair behind his ear. "I was thinking. You're going to be coming to the palace today, and I'm so excited. My people are all excited. I just wanted to let you know that some things are different." He fumbled over his words, knowing that he was going to have to break the news to her about his recent trip into marriage.

"Different?" She asked quizzically, the thought of him being with someone not crossing her mind once.

"Well…sort of," he stated, mentally smacking himself for how stupid he sounded, "Most things are the same. I suppose there's really only one major…_major_ change."

"And that is…?"

His heart started racing.

"Um…"

It was now or never.

"Well…"

"Aye! Caspian! Vamanos!" The voice of Dominic came from where the entire group sat, saddled on their horses, ready to go. Caspian's heart sank.

"I'll tell you later, my dear Susan. No need to fret about it now." He smiled reassuringly at her, making her grin in response. They walked up the beach, to where their comrades waited. Caspian, ever the gentleman, helped his queen up onto her horse, and put her feet gently into the stirrups.

He finally got onto his own horse, but not after looking at all the amused faces of his friends. He simply smiled at them, before nudging his horse forward.

They were off to the palace.

* * *

She woke to the sound of falling water.

Looking around at her surroundings, it took her a moment to figure out where she was, and how she got there. She was lying in a plush four poster bed, the same one that she had woken up in somewhat frequently of late, a result of her late night "meetings" with Torin.

_Torin._

For a moment, she wished that what had happened within the past day was just a bad dream, and, if she turned around right then, that he would be fast asleep next to her. But she knew in her heart that this wouldn't happen now, nor would it ever happen again. Her love was dead.

With a sigh, she slipped out of bed, and walked over to the waterfall that resided in his room. Reaching her hand out to the pelting stream, she smiled with delight-it was hot. She wiggled her engagement ring off of her finger, and put it on Torin's desk. Next, she slipped out of her nightgown, placing it over the back of his chair.

Wincing in pain for a moment, she stepped into the pool of water, feeling herself go under the floor line. The scalding water became more bearable within the next few minutes, and she found herself underneath the waterfall.

All the emotions from the past day slipped off of her worn body, and mixed with the water. She closed her eyes, feeling her soul getting lost in the feeling. After a few minutes, her eyes snapped open in realization.

_I am leader. I'm leader of the Underground.

* * *

_

The group had ridden about an hour, with only ten minutes left in their long journey home. Caspian's heart thudded in his chest, praying to Aslan that he would have time to explain the situation before Susan met Ethine. He was silent most of the ride, worried sick about what was about to happen. Susan noticed this, and rode right up beside him.

"Something the matter, Caspian?"

He glanced over at her, the concerned look on her face making his heart flutter. _How does she have this effect on me? _He mused inwardly.

"I'm fine, thank you, your highness." He smiled at her.

"Oh, Caspian. I wish you wouldn't be so formal sometimes," she said lightly, her voice threatening to break out in a laugh. "You and I are…" she paused, "friends. There's no need for real titles, I don't think."

"Forgive me," he apologized, looking straight ahead, "I just forget sometimes that you let me call you by your first name. You're the first person who has ever told me to call you something that isn't her highness, or her majesty."

To this, she laughed. Oh, history books. She was about to say something else, but then Caspian pointed to something straight ahead. She followed his arm to the tip of his finger, and gasped. There, coming over the horizon, was his palace.

Bright flags graced the highest towers, and she could see the guards helmets glint in the morning sunshine. It was beautiful.

"Oh, _Caspian_. It's gorgeous!" She exclaimed, remembering the way it had looked under Miraz. It had made such an improvement.

"Thank you," he smiled, looking more at her than his castle.

"I'll race you," she whispered excitedly to him, turning her head so that he could see the glimmer in her eyes. He laughed.

"But of course," he smiled, "Dominic! Count us off." He could feel the young man roll his eyes.

"Fine. 3…2…1…go." He said, bored.

The king and queen took off, nudging their horses to go faster. Through the wind in his ears, Caspian could hear the clear, light laugh coming from Susan. He laughed with her. She was ahead by just enough so that Caspian could see her long, chocolate brown, locks, fly out behind her, her perfect lips curled into a grin.

They reached the gates quickly, at which point, they decided that Susan was the winner. Caspian waved to one of the guards, who quickly alerted all the others. Six of them heaved the doors open, and one ran to the north tower, and began to ring the bell that resided there.

"What does the bell mean?" Susan inquired, as the doors creaked open.

"It means that something important is about to happen. In this case, your safe return." He smiled happily at her. "Everyone will be waiting to see you."

"To see me? Do they not know that their king has been gone as well? They should be celebrating for both of us." She said, instinctively reaching out to touch his hand. He shivered.

"We shall see," he nodded, as the doors became fully open, "You go first. You're really who they want to see." He laughed. She looked tentatively at him for a moment, but then smiled, and proceeded without question.

She passed through the gates first, watching the people line up along the sidewalks of the streets. Whispers of _'Queen Susan is back!' _and _'She's alive!' _could be heard all throughout the crowds, causing her to smile. She looked over her shoulder, and sure enough, there was the king, who was nodding to his people. He caught her gaze, to which she yelled, "Come, ride with me!"

He did as he was told, and rode up alongside Susan. By now, most of the entire city was present, gathering along the sides of the streets. He led her through the town, until they got to the center square, one that held bittersweet moments for both of them.

Near the edge of the square was a huge tree, its gnarled roots plunging deep within the earth. Both king and queen knew this tree to hold one painful memory, and one fantastic memory. This was the tree in which the Gentle Queen, along with the rest of her family, had left Narnia-the two elders for supposedly forever. But, this is also where the two of them had finally conveyed their true feelings for one another. In a way that neither of them would ever forget – a first kiss on both of their parts.

They stopped near the tree, both of them speechless for a moment.

"I think I like it better when I'm not going home," Susan said, finally breaking the short silence.

"As do I, my queen," he agreed with a smile. He then proceeded to dismount his horse, and walk around to where Susan sat. He gently took her waist, and carefully lifted her off of her horse. Her feet touching the ground at last, she leaned her head against his chest for a moment; before he reached down to take her hand.

They were halfway to the steps of the palace, when they heard the one thing that Caspian didn't want to hear - his name. He froze.

"_Caspian!_" Called a voice that Susan had never heard before, but Caspian was all too familiar with. Slowly, he and Susan turned around. There, over by the tree, sitting on a white horse, was none other than his new bride, Ethine.

Her hair was a dirty blond that came in waves to her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep green, accentuated by her lavish green overcoat. Both Susan and Caspian watched as she dismounted her mare excitedly, her dress nearly catching as she did so.

Caspian watched in absolute horror, as she came running towards him. Susan watched too, feeling as if she was going to faint. For, she could see, on this woman's head, was something that caught the sun's rays. Something that shone.

Ethine ran into Caspian with such force that it caused him to let go of the gentle queen's hand, and it sent something flying that clanked once it hit the cobblestone street. Susan watched, confused and jealous, as the pretty blonde wrapped her arms around the king, holding him close. Trying to take her eyes off of the sight before her, she looked at her feet. And then the ground. And that's when she saw it.

There, on the ground, was a golden band in the shape of a circle. Kneeling down to pick it up, she could feel her breath hitch in her throat. The band was a crown. And not just any crown. Looking at it, she could see that the gold had been shaped in such a way that it looked like a branch of ivy, leaves and all. This was _her_ crown.

But then that would mean…_NO. _

She grabbed the crown, and quickly stood back up, looking at the hugging couple again. She looked closer. And then, to her utter dismay, the last piece of the puzzle came together. There, glittering on Ethine's left ring finger, was a ring that was obviously a wedding band. Her heart broke.

This woman was more than what she first appeared to be. This woman…was Caspian's wife, the Queen of Narnia.

Caspian's face was buried in a mop of blonde hair, as Ethine's arms around his neck threatened to choke the life out of him. He somehow managed to glance at Susan throughout the whole process, who was looking at him with a look that made him want to cry.

_Shit._

He now remembered that they had never finished their conversation about the 'changes' that had occurred around the palace. And now those changes were here, wrapped around him. He only had a moment more to think about it though, as Ethine finally let go of his neck, put her hands on his face, and then pulled it to her own.

Their lips met, causing Caspian's mind to explode in panic. Susan stood there, unable to breathe. Her heart rate had skyrocketed, she was sure that someone could see it pounding in her chest. She tried to not let her composure slip, which proved to be very difficult as the new queen deepened the kiss between she and her husband. Behind her, she could faintly hear the crowd cheering, but she didn't comprehend it.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the couple broke apart, both of them breathless. Caspian immediately turned to the brunette queen, who shot him a glare that made him step back. Ethine came up beside him, taking his hand.

"Who is this, darling?" she questioned, her sweet voice sounding sour in Susan's ears.

"Um," he began, rubbing the back of his neck, "this is Queen Susan, my lady. She will be staying us for a while." Susan didn't look at either of them as she extended a hand to the blonde queen. Ethine grabbed onto it with both hands, shaking it excitedly.

"My queen, it's such an honor! I've heard so many stories…"

Susan forced herself to make eye contact with her fellow queen, a fake smile plastered onto her face.

"Thank you," she began, feeling sick, "I believe you dropped this, my lady." She held up the crown in her hand to the girl before her.

"Oh, thank you!" She exclaimed happily, taking it from her, "It really is beautiful, isn't it?"

"Very," the brunette remarked through clenched teeth.

* * *

They had made their way to the palace, Susan wishing she could go home more and more every passing second. Ethine was practically attached to Caspian, until he insisted on showing Susan the gardens for a few moments.

Before she could have time to object, she felt Caspian's warm, calloused hand grab her own, and was lead away from the procession, into the gardens. The hedges were high, making the beautiful gardens a maze to the untrained visitor. Luckily, Caspian had grown up with these hedges, so he knew the place like the back of his hand.

He led her through the maze, farther and farther in, until they reached the center, a clearing amidst the hedges with small benches and a fountain. It was here that Caspian let go of Susan's hand, and turned to face her.

"Susan…I can't begin to explain how sorry I am," he said, wishing nothing more than for him to make eye contact with him.

The queen couldn't bear to look at him. So many feelings were attacking her head, that she couldn't make any sense out of anything. She was angry with him for not warning her sooner that there would be a girl that clung to him with every fiber of her being waiting for them at the castle. She was confused as to how and when all of this occurred-from the proposal to the actual wedding. But above all, she was sad and hurt. She had never even thought of the fact that Caspian, her dear, sweet Caspian might be with someone else. The fact that even though he was recently married, that he decided to play with her heartstrings hurt her deeply. She had honestly believed that they were rekindling an old flame.

"Susan…" He pleaded, "Susan, please. Look at me."

Going against her better judgment, she turned her eyes to his. The look he gave her made her want to sob. His big brown eyes resembled something like a puppy's, the pain that he was experiencing evident.

"Caspian," she began, trying to get her emotions in order, "why didn't you tell me about her? We've had a rather questionable couple of days, for someone who's recently married!" her voice was raising, but she didn't care, "You made me believe in finding something that was obviously lost!"

The king was stunned that such words, spoken at such decibel, could come from something as sweet as the Gentle Queen. Silenced for only a moment, he began to speak again.

"I was going to tell you, I swear. That's why I called you aside earlier today-so that I might let you know what could have been in store for us today."

"Fine. But, Caspian…you knew you had just gotten married. Married! That doesn't mean that you go and be all romantic with someone else! Do you have any idea how guilty I feel?"

"Forgive me, my lady, but that was not my intent. If anything, the fault is all mine." He felt horrible for calling his affections toward the woman that he truly loved a 'fault'.

"You played on my affections, Caspian!" she exclaimed, a lump rising in her throat, "You made me believe that things were just going to pick up where they left off between us!"

"Again, I am sorry," he said quietly, feeling helpless under her glare.

"And," she was practically screaming now, "did you see what she was wearing on her head? A crown. A golden crown, in the shape of a branch of ivy! Sound familiar?" she watched as Caspian's face showed a horrified realization, "The crown that she bore on her head was _mine_. From thousands of years ago. _Mine._"

"Susan…oh, Susan. I'm so very sorry," he lamented, feeling his grip on the situation let go completely. He was spiraling downward now.

"If his majesty would be so kind as to show me out of the gardens?" She asked, unable to look at him. He felt his heart rip in two.

"Of course, my queen."

* * *

Scara sat in front of Torin's massive desk, sorting through his papers, which blanketed the top of his desk like a fresh layer of snow.

She flipped through pages and pages of battle plans, construction blueprints, and letters, nimble fingers leafing through the pages easily.

She had been going through the papers for a little more than half an hour now, and she was finally beginning to have an idea of what Torin had planned for the rest of excitement grew, as she read his detailed plans for everything-from Caspian and the rest of his council, to all of the citizens of the crown, and even for the kings and queens of old, should they return.

The knight was finding it rather difficult to refrain from planning anything, even as she had just begun her twelve days.

_I could strategize, _she thought, _while everyone is still mourning, and then bring up the plan once my time is up. Eleven days is good enough to plan a fairly decent attack strategy._

She knew in her heart that this is what her master would have wanted. He had told her time and time again that it disheartened him to see her upset. He would then smile, give her a kiss, and laugh quietly.  
She also knew that her people would think it an offense to the dead for her to stop the mourning of her leader for an attack on Caspian. She was stuck.

Upon her better judgment, she decided to wait out the last eleven days. She would much rather have the king against her, rather than her own people. In the meantime, she would be secretly putting many of Torin's ideas into a battle plan for the day after mourning was over.

Standing up to stretch for a moment, she was suddenly amazed at what she was doing. Right now, at this moment, she felt more invigorated to get things done than ever before. Her heart still ached for the love that she had lost, but she knew that the only way for her to cope with his death was to be proactive, and carry along, the way she knew he would have wanted her to.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Putting on one of his overcoats on her, she walked to the large doors, and opened the left one. There, standing in front of her, was one of Torin's old servants. He didn't say anything, but rather, held out his hand to her.

She looked down at his wrinkled palm, and smiled sadly. There, in his hand, was Torin's Master Ring. It was given to him when he first became leader of the Underground, many years ago. The thick band was made of pure gold, with six large precious stones around it. Ruby, fire. Sapphire, water. Emerald, earth. Diamond, air. Citrine, sun. Pearl, moon. All of these represented the domains in which it was said that the leader of the Underground could control. It had been passed down from Master to Master, since the founding of the cult, long before her time.

She smiled to the older man, and gently took the ring from his palm. He then left, leaving her alone. Looking down at the ring, she knew that it wouldn't fit any of her slender fingers. So, grabbing one of Torin's few necklaces, and sliding the pendant off of it, she slipped the ring on it, and then placed it around her neck.

The ring was heavy, but it was a weight that made her feel safe. Now, she could have a little bit of her last love with her wherever she went.

* * *

Dinner had been torture. Absolute torture.

Caspian was more miserable than he had been since the day three years ago, when the Pevensie family had walked through the tree that resided closely to their current position. Ethine had been talking the ear off of everyone around the table-the high queen, the council members, the four celebrated soldiers, and the king.

To make matters even worse, Susan wouldn't even look at him. He felt sick for the amount of pain that he had obviously caused her. He could tell that his friends knew what was going on, and that they were unspeakably siding with the high queen.

He felt horrible. He should have told her. And for the love of Aslan, he should have stopped the councilmen for adorning Ethine with Susan's legendary crown. If not mentioning his recent marriage wasn't insulting enough, the fact that his wife was wearing _her_ crown surely must have sent her over the edge.

Susan, on the other hand, felt nauseous as well. Looking down at her plate full of food, she could feel her appetite shrink. She kept her eyes glued to any one of the council members or the soldiers, unable to even make eye contact with the king or queen.

She knew that she was an absolute wreck right now. She was at the point where, if she glanced at the new royal couple, who were seated at the head of the table, she knew that she would break down and cry.

Finally, after what felt like hours of pure torment, dinner was over. Getting up from the table much too quickly, Susan stumbled all over the bottom of her dress, until she stood up clumsily.

"Thank you for dinner, your graces," she said, looking at the wall behind both of them, "I think I shall retire for the night now, it's been a rather long day. I shall see you all in the morning. Goodnight." With that, she turned on her heel, and exited the dining hall.

Caspian watched her back as she left, knowing that things couldn't go on like this for much longer. With the fires of determination igniting behind his dark eyes, he excused himself from the table, and once out of the line of sight, began running after the gentle queen.

He ran lightly, his feet barely making noise as they propelled him through the open corridors of his palace. He was almost to her room, when the small sound of high heels clacking on the floor stopped him. He turned his head to the right. There, walking halfway down the corridor, was Susan. He could just see the open back of her midnight blue gown, a stark contrast to her creamy white skin.

As he watched her, he could see that she was stumbling a bit, as if she were slightly drunk. He then watched, heartbroken, as she tripped over the hem of her dress, knocking her to the ground. It was then that he could tell she was crying. She yelled, out of both pain and frustration, her voice ragged.

She then moved her feet out from underneath her, plopping down on the stone floor with a sob. She reached down to her feet, ripped off her heels, and practically threw them against the wall. She then realized that she was having a full out breakdown. No one had ever seen her like this.

_And no one ever will_, she thought through her tears. It was at that exact moment that she heard footsteps walking towards her. Trying to clear the tears out of her eyes, she squinted to see who it was that had found her. Then, out of the shadows, walked the king.

_Dammit. _

"Susan?" His voice called to her, concerned, "Susan, are you alright?" She closed her eyes, wishing for nothing more than the power to melt into the floor. She didn't say anything, as he walked over to her, and knelt down.

"Susan" he begged, "please look at me."

When she murmured through her crying that she couldn't, he took things into his own hands. Reaching his warm hands up to her face, he tipped her turned chin towards him. He then went to work on trying to get her eyes open, by gently running his index fingers over her eyelids. After only a few seconds, her red eyes opened, the crystal blue in them shining through her tears.

His heart went out to her, as he softly wiped the tears away from her cheeks. He felt so much love for the woman before him, that his mind was completely masked from looked at him, feeling completely helpless to do anything else, but bury her head in his chest, and allow all of the emotions that she had kept in that day come out.

He held her close, as if he could absorb her pain. Pain caused by him. The thought pierced his soul, the knowledge that he had hurt the woman that he loved with all of his heart killing him.

Eventually, she calmed down, taking her head away from his chest.

"This isn't going to work," she said quietly, watching him twirl a strand of her hair in his fingers.

"I know," he whispered, "I don't know what to do."

"Maybe," she began with a sigh, "if I could see you just once a day...without Ethine? That way we could talk interrupted."

"I would like that," he said with a smile.

"Then that's what we'll do," she grinned.

He then stood up, and walked over to wear her heels lay. He picked them up, and then went back and sat down next to her. Turning her so that her feet were in his lap, he gently pushed her dress back, exposing her feet, ankles, and the bottom most part of her calf. He suddenly found himself struggling against the urge to push it up farther, exposing more of her pale skin. He shivered inwardly at the thought.

He carefully slipped the right heel onto her foot, and tied the strap at the top with ease. He then did the same with the left.

"I'm simply amazed at how well you walk in these," Caspian mused aloud, smile on his face. He stood up, and extended his hand down to the beautiful queen on the floor.

"Why thank you, sire," she laughed, grabbing onto his hand, and standing up alongside him.

"Would her highness like me to escort her to her chambers?"

"Right now, I would like nothing better. Thank you." She linked her arm with his, and they began to walk, in the coolness of the night.

* * *

The rest of the week passed without incident, Susan and Caspian meeting every so often for hours, talking about everything. They usually met in one of the gardens, where they could go unseen. But on Friday, rain poured from the clouds, and lightning streaked across the sky.

He had found her reading in the library, her nose buried in the most recent book on Narnian history. Coming up from behind her, he had gently grabbed her waist, making her squeal lightly, dropping the book.

"I thought you might be here," he laughed, sitting down next to her.

"You found me," she said with a smile, closing her book, and putting it on the table. "It's a nice change of scenery, don't you think?"

Caspian looked around at the deserted library, with its numerous bookshelves, a roaring fire before them. It was much cozier than the gardens.

"Yes, I do believe it is," he agreed.

They talked for hours, until Caspian had to meet with his councilmen about the annual Ball de Luna, which was occurring tomorrow. Susan had been hearing all about this event all week, but she still wasn't sure what it was.

"What exactly is the Ball de Luna, Caspian?" I've been hearing about it all week," she questioned, while playing with his fingers.

"It translates into the Ball of the Moon. It is held on the first full moon of the summer every year. In this case, it is tomorrow. Will you be coming?" He looked at her, his eyes hopeful.

"I wasn't actually planning on it, sorry," she said quietly, "I'm not really one for dances."

"Oh, Susan, please? You must come. You're the most important guest in the kingdom! Please?" He shot her his best puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, don't do this to me, Caspian! No." She said, on the verge of laughing. His look increased.

"Caspian!" She laughed, unable to stand it, "Fine. I'll go."

He looked at her, smiling widely. "Oh, good."

* * *

It was less than twenty four hours later, and Susan was already beginning to regret her decision. She stood in her chambers, staring blankly at her closetful of gowns. She had gone through them all twice, still completely indecisive about which one she was actually going to wear.

After a long while, she narrowed it down to three. And then to two. And then, she decided on one. It was a deep scarlet, with little gold accents all over. The lace neckline went straight across her upper body, one line from shoulder to shoulder, with the sleeves coming down three quarters of her arm before flaring out.

She adjusted the ringlets in her soft hair, and tossed it over her shoulder. She then took a small gold necklace, and placed it around her neck. Putting on just a bit of makeup, she concluded that it was as good as it was going to get, and decided she was ready.

* * *

The ballroom was beginning to become packed, as the entire kingdom was allowed to come to the ball. On the bottom floor, there was the actual dance floor, along with the thrones for the king and the queen. Above them, there was an open second floor, where people could look down at the dancers below. On both floors, there were hundreds of tables, adorned with candles and expensive china.

Susan walked in, and was awed at how beautiful the room was. She took a seat in a place where the king might see her-right across the room from her. And see her he did.

He was sitting in his throne, Ethine holding his hand…much to his dismay. Trying to keep his mind occupied with other things, he began looking around at his subjects. His eyes drifted from the first level of the room to the second, where a most magnificent sight greeted him.

Susan was standing by a table, untying her cloak. He watched in awe as she slipped the gold piece of cloth off of her, and revealed her beautiful dress. His gaze was transfixed on her as a butler pulled a chair out for her, and took her cloak. She then sat down; taking a small sip of champagne from her glass that was on the table.

Ethine noticed him staring, and decided that she had to do something. Turning to the orchestra, she whispered something in Spanish to them. They all nodded, and began to play a beautiful, sappy sounding, love song.

Susan watched as the queen turned to her king, and then practically dragged him out onto the dance floor. She pulled him close to her, dancing slowly. The high queen was doing okay at watching the dance, until the queen did something totally uncalled for. Making sure that they were facing toward Susan, she pressed her lips onto the king's, trying to make out while dancing.

A sudden surge of jealousy coursed through Susan's veins, so she just grabbed her champagne glass, brought it to her lips, and drowned out the moment.

Eventually, the song ended, followed by applause from the crowd. Susan, still sitting by herself, was now drinking a glass of water, and watching the two royals. They had gone back to their seats, and were now watching their subjects dance. That was, until a man came up alongside the queen, and began to whisper in her ear.

Squinting, Susan could see that the man that had come up was none other than Dominic, Caspian's best friend. Once he was done telling Ethine something, she turned to Caspian, apologized, and walked out. _What was going on?_

As she continued to watch, she thought she saw Dominic, as he walked out, give the king a thumbs up.

A few moments later, Caspian got up from his chair, and bolted across the floor to the stairs that led up to the second level. He walked through the dimly lit tables, until he came to Susan. He was behind her, and finding that he couldn't resist, lightly grabbed her waist.

She yelped lightly, jumping out of her seat, and turning around to face him.

"You really have a bad habit of doing that, you know," she said with a smile.

"My apologies, your majesty," he said, flirt in full swing. She laughed, and sat back down at the table. He sat in one of the chairs next to her.

"You sure do know how to throw a party, Caspian," she remarked, eyes wandering all around the ball room.

"Thank you, my lady," he grinned, eyes looking only at her.

In the back of his mind, he knew that she had seen the dance between him and Ethine. He needed to make up for that. His mind racked over what he could do, until it reached a marvelous conclusion. Without saying anything, he got up, and ran over to the orchestra. He too requested something in Spanish, to which the entire ensemble agreed happily.

He then ran back over to where Susan was seated, waiting for him. In the background, a sensual and feisty salsa began to play.

"Susan," he whispered excitedly, "dance with me." She looked at him incredulously.

"What?"

"Dance with me!" he smiled at her.

"Oh, no, Caspian, I don't dance. The last time that I danced in public was thousands of years ago! I would make you, the king, look a fool."

"Susan," he said, grabbing her hands, "Do you honestly think I care? I owe you a bit of fun. And I would be honored if you would grant me this one dance." He stood up, still holding her hands, his words melting her inside and out.

"Fine," she caved to his desires, "But if I make you look bad in front of your entire kingdom, you can't blame anybody but yourself," she stood with a grin. He looked at her intently, a fire beginning to dance in his eyes.

He led her down the steps to the first level, and walked her to the dance floor. As they walked on, all of the other couples that were dancing bowed or curtseyed, and got off. It was just the two of them, with all of the eyes in the place on them.

Getting into position, they waited for a break in the song where they could begin their dance. _Here goes nothing_, she thought to herself.

Suddenly, they were moving. Caspian took the lead, his feet moving gracefully in time with the music. She could feel herself beginning to keep up with his pace well, and eventually didn't need his guidance anymore.

He spun her out to his side, and then back into his arms, his hand on her back pressing her closer to him. They moved all across the floor, their movements elegant and fast. Once or twice, he dipped her low, swinging her around.

Susan could think of nothing else at the moment that the man with whom she was dancing. He had somehow managed to put her under his spell; his warm body pressed so close to her own. The music coursed throughout her body, the guitar's strum, the clap of the bongos, and the somewhat raspy voice of the singer, who was singing in his native Spanish.

The pair also had the crowd transfixed. Some of the elders of the kingdom had left, knowing that nothing but trouble could follow the King and his true flame. Most had stayed, though, simply amazed at the two. The way that they danced showed everything. Caspian was not in love with his queen, for the crowd had also seen their dance, too. No, he danced much differently with the High Queen. He was less stiff, and he danced with much more intensity and passion.

Unspoken feelings became clear as day to all of Caspian's subjects. Emotions that had been silenced all those long years fell out onto the floor, sweet as molasses. Their King Caspian X was in love with the Gentle High Queen of Old. And truthfully, they were all happy for him. Everyone had secretly wanted them together from the start.

The song slowed, and then came to an end, much sooner than either of the dancers wanted it to. The crowd roared with applause, standing to its feet. Looking at Susan, Caspian was amazed with what he saw.

She was glowing. Her face, her eyes, even her hair, radiated with her happiness. Her smile covered the entire lower half of her face, a laugh of sheer joy escaping her perfect lips. She looked absolutely gorgeous. Caspian was thrilled to see her so happy.

It was then, with the noise of the crowd in the background, adrenaline coursing through his veins, and the love of his life before him, he did something that he didn't expect, but he knew that he had wanted.

Bending down slightly, he took two fingers, and lifted the queen's face to his own. For a fleeting moment, their eyes met, both of them smoldering with excitement. And then, with the entire kingdom watching, he gently brushed his lips against hers.

His mind went into chaos. He had wanted this, another chance to kiss his queen's lips, for three, agonizing years now. And he had finally gotten it. But even so, the simple touch wasn't enough. He knew it wouldn't be, and she could see it in his eyes.

Susan was stunned. The fact that he had done that in front of all of his subjects made him two things to her – dumb, and bold. She loved it. With a playful look in her eye, she took his hand, and turned so that they could leave. He smiled.

She had gotten about twenty steps to the door, when she stopped cold. Caspian stopped as well. The room had fallen silent, so that all of Caspian's subjects could hear one word, and one word very clearly.

"CASPIAN."

The couple, still holding hands, turned around slowly. There, standing with arms crossed, and red faced, stood none other than Ethine.

"Ethine," Caspian began, trying to cover for himself and Susan.

"No!" she shrieked, glaring more at Susan than her husband, "I don't want to hear it!"

"How much did you see?" he asked, feeling the anger boil in his veins.

"Enough to conclude what was going on, which I don't like," she seethed, now directing her anger towards Susan, "Queen Susan. I understand that you are a very important guest here in Narnia, as well as a very…close friend to my husband. But I must ask you, how did you not have the sense, nor the propriety, to keep your dirty paws off of my husband? How dare you? You come into _my_ kingdom, and try and take _my _husband? Unfortunately, that's not how the system is designed to work."

"Leave her out of this, Ethine," Caspian bit back, stepping in front of Susan as if protecting her, "She had nothing to do with it." Ethine was about to shoot back, but it was then that Susan spoke up, coming out from behind Caspian.

"My lady Ethine, forgive me, for the fault is mine," she began, feeling the oncoming of hot tears.

"Susan," Caspian interjected, concern in his voice, "what are you doing? The fault was never yours. You don't have to do this."

"Caspian, I do." She said to him without looking. "Ethine, I am so very sorry for the wrongs that I have committed against you. If you could find it in your heart to forgive me, it would be much appreciated," her voice broke, "But if not, I certainly understand. Thank you."

She then turned on her heel, and walked past Caspian toward the exit. He grabbed her arm, which she shook away. She continued walking, dignity hanging by a thread, till she got about twenty feet from the door. It was then, with all the kingdom's eyes upon her, that she picked up the skirt of her dress, and ran for her life.

**From the Author: HEY! So. I must say that I'm pretty proud of myself. I have successfully updated in just a little over a month. :) Yay! Haha. Anyways, here's chapter 11. What did you guys think? (You should tell me by hitting that little button down here that says 'review'. Hehe.) I don't know about you guys, but I progressively dislike Ethine more and more. Much more than I had originally anticipated. Oh dear. :D Alright. That's all that I have for you guys right now-thanks so much for reading! And reviewing, which more of you should do. ;) **

**-Gabby **


	12. Confessions, and Ethine's Treachery

**Disclaimer: Scara. I own you. Everyone else...the ghost of C.S. Lewis owns you. :)**

**A/N: Wow. I have to say, good job with the reviewing, guys. Every time I get a review, positive or tinted with negative, it's like a little hug saying 'thanks for writing that last chapter'. Hahaha. On the subject of slightly negative reviews, I had no idea how...uncomfortably the last chapter settled with a few of you. I'm sorry for that. Unfortunately, for those of you who had problems with it, (you know who you are) I'm just kinda taking all the events that happened last chapter, and running with them, full steam ahead. SO. Just be forewarned. Alright. I'm done. On to the story. :D**

**A/N PART 2: Hey guys. I'm so sorry about all of the emails that you've probably gotten from this chapter. FanFiction has been pretty uncooperative the past few days, saying that this chapter didn't exist even when I uploaded it. Twice. Sooooooooo. Forgive me? haha. :)  
**

Rushing past the guards at the side entrance of the ballroom, the high queen kept running, farther and farther away from the scene of the incident. She knew that the only thing she could do now was gather her belongings, and leave as soon as possible. Hot tears spilled down her face of their own accord, the night breeze cooling them quickly as she ran.  
She had been humiliated, hurt, and shamed...all in the short hour that she had spent at the dance. But the worst part of the whole ordeal was, by far, the fact that her lips still burned from where the king had kissed her. She certainly wouldn't be the first to deny that what had just happened between her and Caspian was what she had wanted for so long now. And the fact that he was willing to show his affections toward her in a room crowded with people made her feel like the most important thing in the world to him.  
Even so, through all of this, she knew full well that what they had done was wrong. As much as she wanted to justify herself and the king, she couldn't find one reasonable argument for them.  
She had reached her room, her feet beginning to hurt. Momentarily exhausted, she leaned against the wall next to her door, the stone cold against her back through her open dress. Gingerly wiping the last of the tears from her face, she sighed. Tonight had been the best and worst night of her history in Narnia.  
With one last look at the empty corridor, she opened her door, stepped inside, and then closed it quietly.

* * *

Back in the ballroom, the king was numb. The guests were beginning to clear out of the massive room, leaving it vacant and full of echoes. Ethine still stood with her arms crossed next to her throne, and Caspian had somehow managed to have his back to her.  
Once all of his subjects had exited the room, he turned to his queen, trying to suppress his frustration.  
"I'm going to find her," he stated quietly, looking down at his feet.  
"What?" came her vicious reply.  
"I am going to go and find her," he said more forcefully, looking up to meet her eyes. She looked at him, almost crazily.  
"Caspian, no. No." It seemed like the only thing that she could say to him.  
"Ethine, one of us has to apologize to her, and I'd much rather it be me. So I'm going." He then turned, and began walking toward the same exit that Susan had ran through. He suddenly felt a pair of hands clasp around his arm, pulling him backwards.  
"Caspian," Ethine practically yelled, struggling to pull him back toward her, "Caspian, will you just stop! She'll be fine. If everything goes well, she'll just leave! And then this problem won't continue to bother us!"  
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Turning his head to the queen, angry fire ignited in his eyes.  
"Bother _you_." He hissed, wrenching his arm free, and quickly walking to the door.

* * *

Ethine's idea of Susan leaving the palace stuck with the king as he raced through the hallways, hoping to Aslan that the high queen was alright. He had no idea where she had gone to, so he decided to check her chambers first.  
He ran, as fast as his legs would carry him, to the queen's room. He finally arrived, out of breath for a moment. Looking at her door, he could see that it was ever so slightly ajar, so that he could just see a small section of her bed...and things being thrown on to it. Upon further investigation, he could see a small bag on her bed, and that the things flying through the air were dresses. She was packing.  
Panic flooded him. She was leaving? Not that he could very much blame her, though. Attempting to remain calm, he knocked gently on her door.  
"It's open," came her tired, choked response.  
He quietly swung the door open, feeling his heart sink. The bag on her bed was almost half full, her clothes and some other items laid out on the bed for her to pack. Her back was to him, as she was going through the closet, searching for any more of her things.  
"Is her highness going somewhere?" he questioned quietly, causing her to whirl around. She was still wearing her magnificent crimson dress, but she looked so much different from when the king had last seen her. The glow about her features was gone completely, and was now replaced with a look of utter devastation and pain. Her face was streaked with tears, and her hair frazzled.

"As a matter of fact, yes," she recovered, averting her eyes from him, and walking back over to the bed, "I am. I plan on leaving shortly."

"Susan," he whispered, his tone pleading, "please." He then walked over to where she stood, holding one of her dresses in her hands. Reaching out, he gently took a hold of the dress, as to set it down so that they could talk. Instead, she yanked it back from him, suddenly feeling especially angry.

He stood there, momentarily dazed, until he pressed again for the dress. This time, she met him half way, placed her fisted hands against his chest, and shoved him away from her. He staggered back, shocked. He looked at her, her face livid. Her eyes had become misted over with tears, but there was definite anger behind them.

He came back, this time, determined to get her to reconsider. But by the time that he had gotten within her arms reach, she laid into him, trying feebly to push him away. He struggled with her for a few moments, until he finally caught both of her hands, holding one in each of his own.

With a whimper of frustration, she pulled her hands from his, throwing the dress onto the ground.

"What do you want from me, Caspian?" she questioned, her choked voice coming out in more of a whisper.

"I want you to stay," he began truthfully, "if her majesty wishes." She looked at him, torn. The tears in her eyes were struggling to stay there as she spoke softly.

"How can I? Your whole kingdom knows what happened. Your wife hates me. I can't stay."

"Are we doomed, then?" he questioned, feeling his frustration mount, "Two lovers who may never be together?"

"Caspian, I don't think we were ever meant to be together," she stated quietly, looking away from him, "And I think you know that as well." He looked at her, not sure if he had heard correctly.

"But...that just isn't possible. I've never felt the way I do for you towards anyone before." He replied lamely.

"It's called infatuation, Caspian. After I leave, you'll forget all about me, and live a perfectly happy life. It's just that simple."

"But it isn't," he pressed, trying to get her to see his point, "I went three years without you, Susan, and I can very honestly tell you that not one day went by that I didn't think of you."

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder," she cut in, raising her voice, and proceeding to explain to him that what he was feeling was nothing more than a mindset he was in. Caspian had heard enough, so over her talking, and with his heart reeling, he spoke.

"It's different because I love you, Susan."

Almost immediately, she quieted. After seconds of silence, she looked at him, the first of the tears that she had been working so hard to keep contained, falling.

"You don't mean that. Don't play with my affections now, please, I beg of you," she whispered, turning her back to him.

"I mean every word of what I said, probably more than you will ever know," he began, stepping closer to her, "I really do..." he was stopped short.

"Caspian...please. Please," she shuddered, "go." He froze.

"What? But I can't just..." he fumbled with his words.

"Caspian, leave," she demanded of him, without even turning around.

He backed away slowly, heartbroken, not knowing what was going to become of the woman whom he loved.

* * *

The kingdom had grown quiet, night cloaking the sky in a cool blanket. Everyone was beginning to fall into sleep-all but one. Walking toward the Ocean Garden, a cloaked figure glided through the open corridors, the night breeze making the dark fabric billow around their feet.

Coming up upon the garden, the figure noticed two guards standing at the entrance. Thankfully, this could be taken care of. Taking the hood of the cloak down before the guards saw, they rounded the corner.

"Gentlemen," came the voice of a woman from the shadows, "You've been working so hard all day. Why don't you take the rest of the night off-the only person that's going to be in there for the next couple of hours is me," she said.

The guards looked around for a person to put to the voice, confused. But then, out of the shadows, came the golden-haired queen.

"Lady Ethine," they both mumbled, before bowing.

"Like I said, boys. Go ahead and sleep. I give you permission."

The two young guards looked warily at one another, but decided it best not to cross the queen. They bowed again, and then left. She was alone.

She walked into the garden, following the moonlit path to the center. There, a massive fountain sat, with stone benches around it. The sidewalk around the fountain made a perfect circle, with high trees surrounding it.

She stood there for a moment, next to the fountain, waiting. She looked around awkwardly, as if she were expecting someone. It was silent for a few more seconds, until a voice came from above.

"You wanted to meet with me?"

The queen whirled around, looking up toward the trees. There, sitting on a branch of one of the taller trees, was the silhouette of a person. Ethine watched, as the person climbed gracefully down to a lower branch, and then jumped down next to her. This person also wore a hood on their cloak, and before long, began to take it off.

Long, slender fingers grabbed the rough fabric of the hood, and pulled it back. The only two things that the queen noted were that: one, this person was a woman, and two, her strikingly silver hair.

"Let's get to work," whispered Scara with a grin.

* * *

Susan had given up on packing, and now the only thing she wanted to do was sleep. She had climbed into bed more than an hour and a half ago, and was still trying to fall asleep.

Her mind was much too busy to be conducive to sleep. All she could think about was Caspian, and how bad she felt for being so cross with him.

She rolled over on her side, trying to fluff her pillow in the process. Nothing was working. The only thing that her mind seemed to wander to when she closed her eyes was the dashing king, and how she had hurt him tonight. Sitting up with a groan, she knew that she couldn't pretend to be tired any longer.

Swinging her legs out of bed, and standing up, she grabbed her robe, shrugged it on, and began to walk to the library.

In Caspian's room, a situation not unlike Susan's was occurring as well. The fear that tomorrow morning, he was going to wake up to find that the legendary queen of old had disappeared in the night, never to be seen again...overwhelmed him.

The bliss of sleep danced around his room, teasing him with what he couldn't achieve. He looked over at the empty space next to him. Ethine had gone into the village for the night, claiming that she had some 'business' to work out.

Rolling back over, he pressed his head farther into his pillow, as if the secret to a good night's rest lay inside. After a few moments of just lying there, it appeared to him that sleep wouldn't come to him tonight. With a grunt, he rolled onto his back, looking at the ceiling.

"Dios mio," he sighed. Looking around his chambers, he could neither see or think of anything productive to do. Sitting up, he knew that he had to go and find something that would take his mind off of things.

Getting out of bed, he opened his door, and walked into the empty corridor, heading straight for...the library.

The two side doors to the royal library opened at practically the same time, one on each end of the room. Fortunately for the king and queen, bookcases as far as the eye could see shrouded them both, rendering them invisible to the other. Unfortunately, though, they were both headed for the same spot-the fireplace at the center of the room.

Caspian arrived there first, with Susan following a few seconds later. The second that the two saw each other, Susan automatically began to turn to leave.

"Susan," he called to her, "Susan, wait."

The passion in his voice was enough to make her heart melt into a puddle of mush. Tentatively, she turned back toward him.

"Yes, my lord?" Her voice quivered as she answered quietly.

"Please don't leave Narnia, my lady," he pleaded, averting his gaze from her, "I don't know what I would do without you here."

"You've done it before, I'm sure that surviving is still attainable for you."

He shook his head, "You misunderstand me, my lady. I do not wish to survive without you...again."

"Do you really mean that?" she questioned in a voice just above a whisper.

"Every word, my queen."

She looked at him for a moment, hating that he was so successful at changing her mind. So, she put up her last line of defense.

"Why stay, Caspian? When none of the reasons why I would stay matter to anyone here?"

"They don't matter?" he questioned, stepping closer to her.

"They don't. For instance, it doesn't matter that I miss how things used to be between you and I. It doesn't matter that I want your wife to like me," she began to get on a role, her voice raising, "it doesn't matter that I love this place! It doesn't matter that...that I _do_ love you, and that I never want to leave you! It doesn't matter..."

Caspian blocked out the rest of what she was saying, and focused in on one thing.

_She loves me_.

Without any further words, and with Susan still talking, he took two giant steps toward her, so that he was right in front of her, causing her to slow in her talking. Without warning, he dipped his head down to her level, and gently brought his lips to hers.

Momentarily stunned, the queen could think of nothing better to do than kiss him back with everything she had. She clasped one hand around the back of his neck, the other lightly ghosting over his abdomen.

His heart soared with happiness and delight that she was kissing him back. He gently pulled her to him, hands around her waist. She leaned into him, twirling strands of his hair in her fingers.

It was at that moment that nothing else in the world mattered to either of them. The only thing that went through both of their minds was the person standing in front of them. All of the troubles that had been experienced in the past week seemed to fade away, the feeling of being so close to one another dulling the pain of longing.

Somehow, in the midst of their passion-filled moment, Susan ended up with her back against one of the bookshelves, the king now in full control over her. Her lips were flushed bright red, beginning to swell from all the contact. Caspian's lips left her mouth momentarily, and began to trail down her jawline, and down to her neck.

She was just barely able to stifle a moan as she arched her neck to allow him easier access to her pale skin. She realized that she was going to have to maintain some sort of boundaries, and with a pang of disappointment, knew that this was where they should probably stop.

"Darling," she mumbled, as he was still working away at her neck. He stopped for a moment, looking up at her.

"Yes, my queen?"

She looked into his eyes, sensing the excitement buried deep within them. She smiled.

"I think this ought to be where we stop, Caspian," she said softly, "wouldn't want anything to happen." Stepping back, he sighed, knowing that she was right.

"Thank you for keeping track of us," he said in a playful tone, while pulling her into his arms.

As she stood there, in his arms, she knew that what had just happened between them was also wrong. But as much as she wanted to admit that, she just couldn't. What had happened felt so...right. Like it was meant to happen.

He looked down at her, noticing her brow furrowing in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" He questioned lightly, his warm breath tickling her neck.

"You," she answered in a small sigh.

"Happy thoughts, I hope," he said quietly, gently kissing the crook of her neck. She shivered.

"But of course."

They stood there for a few more moments, just drinking in the moment. It was then, that the both of them realized how late it really was. Gazing into the happy licks of flame that inhabited the fireplace, the both of them felt the sense that they wanted to just spend more time in the presence of the other. Neither of them knew how to address the situation, until Susan spoke quietly.

"I don't know why, but I don't want to leave you," she remarked hazily from his arms, beginning to finally feel tired.

"I feel the same, my queen," he agreed, kissing the top of her head, "but I can tell that you're beginning to tire. Let's get you to bed."

She began to protest quietly, but the king simply reached down, and lightly took hold of her hand. Seeing that her feeble fighting the situation was useless, she laced her fingers together with his, and the two of them began to walk out of the library.

They slowly meandered through the vacant corridors of the palace, making their way back to the queen's room. Once there, Caspian opened the door, picked the queen up in his arms, and carried her inside, using his foot to shut the door behind them.

He brought her over to her bed, where he gently laid her down. He then pulled her blankets and sheets over her, and tucked her in. Dragging over a plush chair and its matching ottoman to the side of her bed, the king found an extra blanket, and sat down.

She looked at him sleepily from her bed, a slight smile creeping onto her face.

"Been a rather interesting night, don't you think?" she questioned, snuggling into her blankets.

"Interesting...late...fantastic," the king responded with a mischievous smile, "Overall, I think it was a rather decent way to end the day."

A tired, very un-Susan like, giggle escaped the queen's lips, as she continued to look at her king. He gazed back at her, unable to keep a straight face. Leaning over, he pushed a few stray hairs out of her face, smiled at her, then sweetly pressed his mouth to hers. She responded by gently placing her hand on his cheek, bringing his face closer to her own.

Eventually, they broke apart, their passionate night finally winding down. Draping his arm down off of the chair, Caspian reached for Susan's hand, which was now resting on top of her covers. She noticed the gesture, and extended her arm to meet his halfway. Knitting their fingers together, the queen finally fell into a peaceful sleep.

Feeling his own eyelids begin to shut, the king glanced one more time at the sleeping form of Susan Pevensie, who had reaffirmed to him in a single night, why she would be the only person that he could ever love wholeheartedly. Feeling sleep at long last wash over him, Caspian drifted off into a slumber, the gentle hand of the high queen resting in his own.

* * *

The Forest's End inn and tavern resided in the heart of the village that lay at the foot of the king's castle. It was a cozy place, a fire always burning in the hearth, the smell of good food lingering in the air. Usually quite full, the tavern was now only occupied by three people-the bartender, and two women, shrouded by their cloaks.

They sat at a table closest to the fireplace, in the far corner of the room. They talked in hushed voices, as if something of great secrecy and importance plagued their discussion. Eyeing them curiously, the young bartender began to walk over to their table.

"Pardon me, my ladies," he began, his tone tinted with annoyance, "but are you aware of the hour? I do wish to sleep sometime soon."

He watched as the one on the right side of the table sighed, and then turned toward him. None of her face showed as she talked.

"We are quite aware of the time, thank you," she retorted, in a much louder voice than she was using to talk to her partner, "and we are sorry for being here so late. But, you may leave. We won't cause any trouble."

"I don't think I'll be able to let you do that," he replied rather curtly.

Rolling her eyes, the figure on the right turned to look at the bartender once more, this time moving her hood out of the way, so he could see her face. All of a sudden, the young man found himself looking into the eyes of the queen. Immediately, he dropped to the floor, bowing.

"Forgive me, my Lady Ethine, I didn't know that it was you. Of course you can stay...stay as long as you like."

"Very well, thank you. If you would be so kind as to pour my friend and I one last drink before you retire for the night?"

"Of course," he obliged, scrambling to get off the floor.

The two watched as the bartender hastily-but carefully-made them two drinks, and brought them over to their table.

"Thank you."

He bowed again, and then quickly ran toward the stairs to the inn.

"Nicely handled," the second woman remarked, taking her hood off to expose her brilliantly silver hair, "Now. What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"About a week ago, Caspian brought back a woman to the castle. He claims that she is High Queen Susan, of old." She could see Scara's eyes light up.

"That's because she is. He brought her to New Telmar after he aided in her escape from my compound," she said lowly, taking a sip of her drink.

"He _what_?"

"He aided in a prisoner escape from the Underground headquarters," Scara continued angrily, "He also killed my fiancee."

She watched as the queen clasped her hand over her mouth, disbelievingly. The thought of her husband, the high king of Narnia, killing someone still such a strange concept to her.

"I'm so sorry, Scara," she lamented.

"You told me that we were here on strictly business terms, Ethine," the knight said quietly, looking into the flames, "What do you want?"

"I want Susan out of the picture. Do this for me, and you can have the throne, and all of the council positions. I just want Caspian."

Scara could feel herself stop breathing. The thing that she and Torin had worked years to achieve, control of the crown, was now being handed to her on a silver platter. Regaining her composure, the knight looked at the queen intently.

"Very well. But, you're going to have to help me with removing Susan. I'm going to need her to be out in the woods, alone. Can you do that for me?"

"I'm sure I'll think of a way."

"Good. Once she is out in the woods, I will dispatch of her, and then bring my troops in to take over the city."

"Will...any civilians be hurt?" questioned Ethine, her sensitivity to warfare showing.

"Not if they stay out of my way," Scara answered, a slight sneer coming over her features.

"Alright, then. Do we have ourselves an agreement, Scara Leon?"

"It seems we do, Lady Ethine."

* * *

The very first of the sun's rays peeked through the open window of Susan's chambers, where both she and the king were very comfortably asleep.

Feeling the warmth of the light hit his face, Caspian's eyes fluttered open, and took a minute to remember where he was. He was still sitting in the plush chair, his feet resting on the ottoman. His blankets had become somewhat disturbed during his sleep, but he was still quite warm.

Looking down, he smiled. His hand was still entwined with the queen's. He gazed over at her, wishing that he could be lying next to her, wishing that every morning he could wake up and see her.

He knew that Ethine would be back from the village soon, and that he should soon depart Susan's chambers...but he found that the amount of willpower it took to do such a task was too much. He didn't want to leave her side.

Battling with his conscious, he knew that he really ought to get going. Standing up from his chair, he carefully placed it back where it was the night before, and folded the blanket up on top of it. He walked over to the door, trying to turn the handle as quietly as he could.

"Is his majesty going somewhere?" a quiet voice said from behind him. He turned to see Susan, peacefully awake. He walked over to the side of her bed, and knelt down.

"Unfortunately, my day begins early this morning. I wish I could stay with you longer," he lamented, gently taking hold of her hand again.

"Well. Duty calls," she said quietly, rubbing her thumb against the back of his hand, "when am I going to get the pleasure of seeing you today?" she asked with a coy grin.

"I'll let you know," he answered with a smile, causing her to laugh quietly. He laughed along with her, before very tenderly binging her hand up to his lips. She sighed, wishing nothing more than for this to be more than just a one time thing.

Once he let her hand go, she clasped it on the back of his neck, and brought him into a sweet kiss.

"Good morning, darling," she murmured whimsically, as he leaned down to kiss her jawline.

"And a very good one it is, at that," he replied, smiling against her skin.

* * *

Dismounting her white mare silently in the stables, Ethine moved swiftly into the castle, beginning to make her way to the royal chambers. She avoided the early morning guards, slipping by them in the shadows. In a short amount of time, she arrived at the door, pulling on the handle as quietly as she could.

Swinging the left door open, she walked into the dimly lit room. The heavy curtains were drawn, covering the bright morning sunlight. She stepped lightly across the floor, wriggling out of her shoes and overcoat.

The royal chambers were divided into two rooms, held together by a large pair of ornate doors. The first room was the foyer, which was the room that the queen was now standing in. It had a fireplace, tables, rugs, and chairs...it was a place where the royals could have company without the bedroom having to be seen.

The other room was, of course, the bedroom, the doors of which were shut. Striding over to the entry to the bedroom, Ethine placed both hands on one of the oversized door handles, wincing as it gave a low groan.

The bedroom was also dark, as it should have been at that hour in the morning. Climbing into the massive bed, she could feel the heat from the king's body warming the sheets. With a smile on her face, she curled up next to him, only to find something perplexing to her.

The king's body was warm, but the sheets in the vicinity of his body were just as cool as her side of the bed was. It was almost like...like he had just climbed into bed. In fact, that's exactly what it looked like. Leaning up on one arm, she inspected his sheets. They were pristine, unlike when he normally slept, when they became rumpled.

_Where had he been?_

* * *

The rest of the day carried on without incident, Ethine kept in the dark about her King and the High Queen's night. Every so often, when the king was going to or coming out of meetings, he would see Susan, conversing with his servants or walking by herself. She was wearing a beautiful pastel green gown, that exposed her shoulders, and a good majority of her back. Every time Caspian saw her, the first thing that stuck out to him was her pale white skin, and how she had allowed him to make contact with it.

_Caspian. Focus. Just walk by her, act normal. Smile if she looks at you. Get a hold of yourself. _His thoughts, though scrambled, managed to tell him, as he was walking by her on his way to his last meeting of the day.

She had made eye contact with him a few times that day, flashing him that brilliant smile of hers. She was about to do that once more, but, before she could react, the king took ahold of her arm, and pulled her into a small nook in the wall.

"Caspian, wha..." she managed to get out, before the king placed a finger lightly over her lips.

"I told you that I would let you know," he whispered, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. And with that, he tilted her chin up toward him, and captured her lips in a searing kiss. It was soft and sweet at first, but then it bloomed into the passion and urgency that had consumed them in the library the evening before.

It was only when the king realized that he still had a meeting to go to, did they break apart, breathless. With a quick smile and a wink, he poked his head out of their hiding place, and seeing no one, ran off.

Susan stood there a while longer, recovering from what had just happened. Smoothing out her dress with a grin, she walked out of the corridor, headed for her chambers.

Ethine had been on her way to the rose gardens to meet some of her ladies for tea, when something caught her eye: a quick flash of light green, disappearing into a niche in the corridor wall.

Becoming momentarily sidetracked, she wandered over to the wall opposite the place where she thought she had seen something, and shrouded herself with a large curtain that hung on the wall.

Squinting slightly to see what was going on, all the queen could do was cover her mouth, to keep from gasping aloud. There, hidden in the wall, was her king, and none other than the brunette queen of old. She watched as he whispered something to her, wondering what it could be. Then, to her horror, she could see Caspian bring Susan's mouth to his own.

Deciding that she couldn't watch any further, Ethine left her place from behind the curtain, escaping to the next hallway over. Anger overtook her, as she pounded her fists into the stone wall. After a few moments, she stopped, looking down at her hands. They were covered in blood from where the skin on her knuckles had given way to the hard stone.

Finding the nearest fountain, she plunged both hands into its icy waters, wincing as the water cleaned off her hands, and seeped into her wounds. She then tore two strips of fabric from her petty coat, wrapped them around her hands, and carefully put her silk gloves on over them.

Once she was decent, she continued on her way to the gardens, finding only one thing that could make the moment she just witnessed alright.

She now knew how she was going to get Susan back into Scara's hands.

* * *

As soon as her tea gathering was over, Ethine rushed back to the royal chambers, knowing what she had to do. She burst through the doors, locking both behind her. Bolting over to Caspian's desk, she took out two pieces of parchment.

On the first she wrote:

_Scara,_

_I have figured out a way to get Susan to you. My plan will be implemented at no later than 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Have your troops hiding in the woods somewhat prior to that time. Once you have received the queen, and done what you wish with her, your troops are free to invade. Thank you again for your services. I don't know how I shall ever repay you._

_Ethine_

She folded the piece of paper up, stuck it in an envelope, and used her seal to shut it closed. Placing her letter to the side, she took the other sheet of parchment, and began to write again.

_My Dearest Susan,_

_The past few days have been marvelous. I cannot thank you enough for staying here, and bringing me more happiness than I've experienced in a great deal of time. With that being said, I have a request of you._

_I've been talking with Ethine a great deal these days, and I've come to see that she really does love me. And I'm sorry, but I know that she won't leave me, like you did all those years ago. I've realized that what you and I have gone through in the past week has been a result of my own infatuation. I have been living too much in the past, as Ethine says. I did love you at one point, Susan. And after you left, I thought that I would never be complete again. When Ethine came into my life, still, the only thing I could think about was you. But now, you're back, and I find that I'm finally beginning to draw closer to my actual wife. _

_Unfortunately, you being here has put a great amount of stress on myself and my marriage, and I find that my leadership abilities are weakened because of it. I now know that it was my 'feelings' for you that made you stay when Ethine wanted you to leave. She just wants what's best for us and our marriage, dear. And as her husband, I am obliged to keep her happy. _

_So, with all that being said, I am requesting that you leave Narnia, Susan. I only ask this so that my marriage can flourish, as well as my kingdom. Please know that I will always have a place for you in my heart, and that Narnia will always remember its high queen as a wise, dignified young woman. Thank you for understanding my needs, Susan. I'm sure we will see each other again someday. _

_Caspian_

Like the last letter, Ethine folded this one carefully, before gently placing it in an envelope. This time, however, she used the king's seal to close it shut, a cross between a grimace and a smile hanging on her face.

She got up from the desk, and rang for her personal messenger, while tucking Susan's letter into her bosom. Soon after, a knock resounded on the door. Rushing to answer it, the queen smiled as she gave the first letter to a young boy, her messenger.

"Take this to the Forest's End tavern, and deliver it to the woman with the silver hair. Tell her that it is from the palace. Say nothing more unless she asks you. Keep this task secret, protect the letter with your life. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded.

"Good."

* * *

The tavern was more occupied than it was the night before, men coming in from a long week of work. Scara sat at the same table as the queen and her did the night before, taking pleasure in the men around her, and the pint of rum in her hand.

Just as one of the men was about to tell the story of how his sword was the best in all of Narnia, the door to the tavern opened. No one really noticed, except for the knight. A young boy came in, probably no older than seventeen, and looked around for something. Finally, his eyes settled on Scara, and he began to walk over to her.

Once he reached her table, he placed an envelope on the table, with no name on the front of it. She looked up at him quizzically.

"It's from the palace," he said, before leaving the table.

Taking another swig from her drink, Scara flipped the envelope over. Upon seeing the queen's seal, she smiled approvingly. Ripping the side of the envelope open, she slid the letter out, and began to read.

Once she was done, she practically laughed out loud. Kicking her feet up onto the top of the table, she knew that she should get ready to leave for the headquarters.

"But not before I finish you, my friend," she said with a grin to her cup.

Things were finally falling into place.

**From the Author: Well hey there. So. Two things. One: I'm sorry this chapter is so short. My bad. Haha. Second: what did you all think? Like I said, I love hearing what you have to say. :) Sooo...I think that's all I have to say. Read, review, you know the drill. :D Happy spring, everyone!**


	13. Leaving, Battle, and Dragonberry Poison

**Disclaimer: After a number of discussions with Dr. Emmett Brown, I have discovered that I never have, and never will own these characters. Bugger.**

"My love, come and listen! The baby is kicking!"

Javier, on his way out the door, heard the soft call of his wife and grinned. Turning back around he sat his messenger bag down on the floor, and walked quickly to where his wife sat. She resided on a plush ottoman, cradling her engorged belly in her hands.

With a smile, he knelt down next to her, gently pressing his ear to her stomach. After only a few seconds, he could hear the faint thumping of tiny feet against the walls of his wife's belly. He couldn't help a smile as he listened.

"Soon, little one. Soon," he whispered lovingly. He could then feel his wife's hands running through his hair leisurely, prompting him to look up at her with a grin.

"Next week!" She exclaimed quietly, her eyes alight with excitement. Javier, now equally as excited, got up from his kneeling position, and took her in his arms, kissing her cheek.

"I love you, my Dianna," he murmured, planting another kiss on her shoulder.

"And I love you as well," she sighed back, "but now, you must get to work. I don't want to make you late."

"Ah, yes. Arriving late looks unfortunate when you work for the king."

"Indeed," she came back with, standing on her tiptoes to gently lock her lips with his.

"I will see you this evening, my love," he said with a small grin, and then walking out the door.

The morning was comfortable and bright, the morning sun taking the liberty of waking all of Narnia up. Standing in front of his door for a second, Javier took a moment to smile. It was going to be a good day. Suddenly, however, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Javier Martinez, I presume?" A quiet voice asked. Being blinded by the sun momentarily, the identity of the speaker was unknown to him, but the voice sounded familiar. He answered, "Yes?"

"And the woman who resides behind this door is your wife, yes?" the speaker asked, this time blocking out the light so that Javier could see. He suddenly found himself face to face with Ethine. Dropping low to the ground, he bowed to her.

"Yes, that is my wife. If it isn't to bold to ask, why does her majesty ask the question?"

She didn't answer him, but rather, produced a knife from behind her back, and placed it at his neck. Moving him out from the sight of the window, she slammed him against the stone wall of his home.

"If you wish the life of your wife and unborn child to be spared on this night, then you will do exactly as I say, when I say it. Do you understand?"

Looking into her eyes, the green orbs looking back at him were like nothing he had ever seen before. They were full of wild anger, emerald flames alight behind her dark pupils. He could do nothing but nod in response.

"I have a letter that has to be given to Queen Susan from Caspian. I need you to give it to her before lunch this afternoon, in private. This is a matter of the utmost secrecy, do you understand? If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I will personally see to it that you end up a widowed man by dawn. I have your house under surveillance, so don't you dare try and pull anything. Do you understand?"

Swallowing hard against the sharp steel at his throat, the knight managed a nod. Giving him one last searching look, the queen withdrew the weapon, tucking it back into her large petticoat. She then proceeded to produce a small piece of parchment from her bosom, and handed it to him.

"What am I to say if her majesty inquires anything of the letter?" he asked quietly, rubbing his neck.

"Assure her that the letter is from Caspian, and that he was far too busy to get it to her personally today. You must be convincing, Javier." She then gave him one last look, and darted off into the shadows, leaving a very confused, and very frightened, Javier behind.

* * *

Walking into the crowded compound, Scara was pleased to find that it was already bustling with activity. Soldiers were running around, gathering together armor and weapons; some in the stables, saddling horses.

She passed by General Ramirez, who was busy giving directions to a pair of young soldiers. He caught her gaze as she walked by, now awaiting his instructions.

"Get them all together in the main hall," she ordered as she passed.

Once all her soldiers were situated, she joined them in the main hall, standing on a chair in front of all of them.

"Good morning, men," she began, her voice strong, "I apologize for my temporary leave of absence…I was actually doing some undercover work in our favorite city of New Telmar. It now appears that we have a powerful ally-the crazy in love ditz, Lady Ethine. She's granted us access to the castle, whether Caspian wants to let us in or not!"

Her men were starting to get excited, fidgeting in their seats-they were positively itching for a fight, for a way to have their vengeance.

"This afternoon, gentlemen, we march to meet the king. We go to him with our frustration, our anger, our idea of a Narnia ruled by the Underground. And with us, we bring the souls that his regime has slain. May they protect us today."

She found herself subconsciously palming the ring that hung from her neck, feeling it give her the strength she needed. Torin was with her, of this she was sure.

"Men," she said with a grin, "shall we march?"

The response she got was enormous and energetic. Her men were ready for this. Slipping on her armor, she slid her sword into its sheath, tucked her dagger in her boot, and slipped the ring behind her armor, the metal cold against her skin through her light shirt.

Walking out in front of her troops, she mounted her horse, and gave each of her officers and generals a nod. Wrapping her fingers around the reigns, she spurred her horse forward, beginning the long march to the castle of the king.

It would end today.

* * *

Walking through the bright halls of the castle, Javier tried his hardest to remain passive and calm, despite the fear welling up inside him. There were guards at his house that could kill his family whenever they pleased. Ethine had eyes and ears all throughout the castle. And, he didn't know if he was about to do something that would put the king or the queen of old in danger.

His thoughts were getting to him, overwhelming his mind. Slipping into a niche in the wall, he pressed his back against the cool stone, making himself take deep breaths. He knew that Ethine would make good on her promise to make him a lonely man if he didn't complete his task-he could sense it in her eyes.

He took the envelope out of his coat pocket, examining it closely. There was nothing written on the front of it, but as he flipped it over, he recognized the seal on the back as the one of the king._ Why was this so secretive? And if Caspian wanted to give this to Susan, why didn't he do it himself?_

Gathering his thoughts together, Javier tried not to think about what he was about to do, and walked out of his hiding place. He travelled quickly, averting his eyes from every person he passed, until he finally came upon the door to Susan's chambers.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked softly; half hoping that she wouldn't answer. The door almost immediately swung open, revealing a smiling queen.

"Good afternoon, my lady," he mumbled quietly, bowing.

"Oh, Javier! How nice it is to see you!" she remarked sweetly, "won't you come in?"

He gave her a shaky smile, and then obliged. Walking into the room, he noted two things. One, that her chambers were much, much nicer than the average guest rooms. _Caspian certainly knows how to treat his…important…guests. _Two, that the queen of old seemed to be happier than usual. Her eyes had a bright sparkle to them, and her skin seemed to radiate. _Curious._

"Please, have a seat," Susan offered kindly, gesturing to one of two seats that sat before a large fireplace. The knight obeyed, his heart beginning to beat a little faster. He could picture the letter in his coat pocket, the mysterious letter that had haunted him the whole day. He watched as the beautiful brunette sat in the chair across from him, looking at him.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Many thanks, my lady, but I think I shall not stay long enough for you to trouble yourself with tea. I am only here for a moment or two."

"Very well," she said with a smile, "what is it that you came to see me for, Javier?"

Feeling his breath quicken, and his palms turn clammy, he reached for the small piece of parchment that resided in his coat pocket. Wrapping his fingers around it, he produced the object, and then presented it to the woman who sat across from him. She took it with a questioning look, flipping the letter over in her hands. Upon seeing the royal seal, she again looked up at Javier.

"His majesty wished for me to deliver this to you, my lady. He told me that he was busy in important meetings all day," he explained, trying his hardest to keep his voice and appearance under control.

"I'm surprised he didn't just drop it off on his way to a meeting," the queen mused, running her thumb over the wax seal.

"He told me that you deserved a more personal touch, so he sent me in his stead. I hope you don't mind," he covered quickly, unknowingly making the message in the envelope all the more bitter.

"Oh, of course I don't mind," she replied with a grin, "I think it's sweet that he would send one of his most trusted friends to give me a letter that he wrote. Thank you for being the messenger, Javier."

"You are most welcome, my lady," he said with a small sigh of relief, "and now, I must resume my duties. It has been a pleasure seeing you today," he complimented, standing up to bow to her. She stood up as well.

"The feeling is mutual, my good sir," she smiled, "I will see you later, then."

He gave her a quick grin, and then walked out of her chambers, closing the door behind him. Once outside, he looked around, making sure that no one was there. Seeing that there wasn't, the knight turned, and began to bolt towards his home.

Once he was around the corner, and out of sight, two tall figures emerged from their hiding place across the hall from the queen's chambers. The first one, the taller and stockier of the two, double checked to make sure that the knight was gone. Satisfied that he was, the guard turned to his companion.

"Alert the queen that the letter has been delivered."

* * *

Inside her chambers, Susan looked carefully at the letter that had just been delivered to her. Taking a sip of her own cup of tea, she broke the seal with her free hand, and slid the letter out. Opening it, she began to read.

A knock on the royal chamber's door resounded through the empty hall. Ethine, who had been anxiously awaiting this knock, jumped up from her chair in haste, and dashed over to the door. Opening it as quickly, she found herself staring at her messenger.

"My lady," he began.

"What news do you have for me, Dimitri? Speak quickly!"

"The guards have reported that the letter has been delivered to Queen Susan."

"Very well," she said with a relieved grin, "go and tell the guards stationed at Martinez's house that they are clear to leave their posts. They've done their job. Be quick about it, and be careful that no one sees you. Do you understand?"

"I do, Madame."

"Good. Now, go!" she shooed him off, shutting the door behind her.

Taking a moment to adjust her hair, redo her makeup, and smooth out her dress, the queen calmed her rising blood pressure, and took a deep breath. She then left her chambers, and walked gracefully to where the brunette queen's chambers resided.

She stared blankly at the piece of paper that she held in her trembling hand. Needless to say, Susan was more than completely shell-shocked. None of this made any sense. Not even a couple of days after her and Caspian's 'romantic' evening together, and he was telling her to leave.

A single hot tear fell from her eye, and landed on the letter. Feeling a surge of emotions simply overwhelm her, she took the parchment in both hands, crumpled it, and threw it into the fire.

It was then that there was a knock on her door. Drying her eyes as quickly as she could, she ran over to the door, and opened it. To her utmost dismay, the fair haired queen with the emerald eyes stared back at her.

"Lady Ethine," she remarked, almost breathless, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

"Oh, my dear Queen Susan!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her, "I came as soon as Caspian told me. I'm so very sorry!"

"Told you what?"

"He explained to me what he needed to tell you, but that his schedule wouldn't permit him to tell you in person. I'm so sorry, my dear."

The two women walked into Susan's chambers, Ethine sitting down in the same chair that Javier had sat in not half an hour earlier.

"What did he say?" the queen of old asked, looking into the flames in the fireplace, blinking away tears.

"He told me that he wanted to focus on his marriage. That the way things had been going the past couple of weeks haven't been fair to either of us, and since I'm his wife, I am the one who his priorities should be set on. I won't pretend that I didn't agree with him, but never in a million years did I think that he would send you away."

It was at her last statement that the dams holding back Susan's tears broke. She made eye contact with Caspian's wife, her eyes shining with the salty drops.

"Oh, Ethine, can you not do something? Please don't let him send me away," she pleaded through her tears.

"Oh my dear, I'm sorry. I can't…Caspian may be my husband, but you have to keep in mind that he _is_ the king, as well," she spoke carefully, knowing that her work was done, "I hate to leave you now, my lady, but I just remembered that I have a meeting to attend. I suppose I should say goodbye on behalf of both myself and Caspian…I hope that we see each other again."

The queen then stood from where she sat, and gave a small curtsey to the woman still sitting. "My lady."

And then, she was gone.

Getting up from her seat, Susan stumbled over to her own desk, grabbing a blank piece of paper. She quickly jotted a note down, knowing that the sooner she could leave the castle, the better.

Finished, she left the note on the desk, grabbing a coat out of her closet. She pulled it on, looking around at her room for a last time. Flicking the tears that plagued her cheeks away, she quietly opened the door, and slipped secretly into the corridor.

Treading lightly, she made her way through the castle unseen, and drifted silently into the stables. Looking around, she noted that there was no one in the area with her, but the horses. With a sad sigh, she began to walk down the rows of stalls.

She passed several horses, until she came upon one that caught her eye. Looking through the bars of the stall, she could see a beautiful white horse, with black splotches all over him. Casting her eyes down to look at the name plaque on the stall, the name Regio shone back at her, engraved in gold.

Taking the key to the stall off of the wall opposite, she slid the door open, removing the barrier between herself and the horse. Grabbing a carrot from a bucket outside the stall, she extended her hand toward the beast, smiling in approval as he walked to her without hesitation.

She was leaving, and there was nothing anyone could say or do to stop her.

* * *

Sitting in his last meeting of the afternoon, Caspian couldn't help being distracted. He knew that right after this, he would be going to see Susan. And that was enough to make his mind wander.

Glancing around the table, he could see the palace treasurer talking, the rest of his councilmen listening intently, and…Javier Martinez, Head General of the royal army, fidgeting in his seat.

He cast a curious glance towards the general, who didn't seem to notice. Rolling his eyes, he cleared his throat loudly. The majority of the members around the table looked at him, including Javier. Mouthing a quick 'sorry' to those who were interrupted, he held his general's gaze.

Waiting till the rest of the men to turn their attention back towards the treasurer, Caspian re-cast his questioning look toward Javier, who in turn began to look even more uncomfortable. Glancing around nervously, the eldest of Caspian's group leaned closer to the king.

"We may have a situation," he whispered softly, before leaning back in his seat.

Caspian also sat back, his mind beginning to turn. He rarely ever saw Javier like this. Javier, the sensible, fearless, courageous leader of their group of friends. Something really must have shaken him up. And whatever Javier was worried about, it was best that everyone else be worried, too.

"Marcos," he found himself saying aloud. The treasurer looked up at him.

"Yes, sire?"

"I wonder if it might be possible to postpone the rest of this meeting till further notice. I believe a situation has just come up that needs my attention. Could that be arranged?"

"Undoubtedly, your Majesty. Dismissed."

He watched as the treasurer and councilmen filed out of the meeting room, till it was just Javier and himself left. Ordering the guards to shut the doors, Caspian turned to his friend.

"What's going on, Javier?"

"I can't give you specific details, but have you seen Susan at all today?"

Something in Caspian automatically panicked. What did any of this have to do with her? Was she alright? What had happened?

"I haven't…I was actually planning on seeing her after this meeting ended. Why? What's happened? Is she alright?"

"Caspian, I told you, I can't tell you details…"

"Why not?" the king asked, beginning to become agitated.

"Because if I tell you, she'll kill my family!" the general came back with, his voice cracking.

"What? Who, Javier?"

"I can't tell you, compadre," he replied with a sigh, "all I can do is ask you if you've seen Susan today. Because I suggest you make it a priority."

Giving him one last, searching look, Caspian's dark brown eyes filled with worry as he left the meeting room in a rush. He hurried through the open corridors, a sense of impenetrable worry growing in the back of his mind.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he made it to the place where the brunette queen had been staying during her time in the castle. The door was slightly ajar, but he knocked anyway. After hearing no answer after a period of time, he quietly swung open the door, and walked into her chambers.

"Susan," he called out, "Susan, are you here?" No answer.

He walked around the room some more, till his eyes came to rest on her unusually clean desk. Nothing but a single sheet of paper occupied the space, and upon looking at it, this piece of paper was addressed to him.

_Caspian,_

_I now truly understand the amount in which you value me. As I take my final leave, I wish you all the best in your marriage that you let me get in the way of. I hope that you live out the rest of your days in happiness, knowing that I will no longer return to you. Take care of the land and the people who live here…so that Narnia might remember her king as wise._

_Goodbye,_

_Susan_

Looking at the letter that had been written to him, the king felt a hole beginning to re-open in his heart. _Why did she just get up and leave?_

Walking out onto her balcony for some fresh air to calm his nerves, Caspian could see, off in the distance, a horse and rider, moving slowly toward the woods. The horse was white, with little black spots all over it, and the rider was wearing blue, with long dark hair.

"Susan," he breathed.

Dropping her letter on the ground, he forgot any of the other things he had to do that afternoon, and ran out of her room. He needed to stop that horse.

Running through the less populated hallways of the castle, the king made his way to the stables as fast as he could. He walked through the rows of stalls, looking in to each as he went. Finally coming across an empty one, he noticed that Regio, the Appaloosa, was missing.

"She must have taken you," he muttered, as he urged himself to keep walking.

Rounding the corner, he came to the biggest stall in the stable, the one designed for his horse. Looking through the bars, he smiled slightly at the beautiful black stallion. He opened the doors, grabbing his saddle and bridle from the wall opposite.

"Come on, boy," he spoke softly, "this might be one of your most important rides yet."

* * *

She finally had reached the entrance to the woods. Stopping her horse for a moment, she paused to look back at the castle. The day was overcast, but she found that the castle still seemed to glow against the clouds. With a sad smile, she whispered a small goodbye to the building, and then turned back around, beginning her journey into the woods.

It was then that she heard something that she didn't expect to hear: her name.

"Susan!"

Whirling around, she could feel her heart drop a few inches more. There was Caspian, riding towards her, calling her name. Going against her better judgment, she stopped, and waited for him to catch up to her.

"Why does my lady leave?" the king asked sadly, riding up next to her.

"You know the answer to that question already," she whispered back, keeping her head turned from him.

"I assure you, my queen, I do not," he came back with, desperate for answers.

At that moment, something inside the gentle queen snapped, as she turned her face towards his.

"You wanted me gone, Caspian! So I'm leaving! Are you happy?"

Finding himself becoming suddenly choked up, all the king could reply was a small "no".

"You're not?"

"I have no idea who told you this, but I can assure you that I am not happy," he spoke truthfully, averting his eyes from hers.

"You did!" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes, "you sent Javier in with the letter this morning! If you wanted to have me gone so much, Caspian, it would have hurt much less in person."

"Susan, I…"

"Goodbye, Caspian," she whispered to him, a shining tear dropping from her eye. She then spurred her horse, and galloped away, consumed by the shadows of the woods.

"Susan!" he called desperately after her, getting ready to follow her.

He was just about to spur his own horse, when a small voice snaked its way into his ear.

"It's painful, isn't it? Losing someone you love?"

He turned around slowly, feeling a sickly connection to that voice. There, sitting on a fearsome looking horse, and clad in armor, was none other than the knight with the silver hair. Caspian, who had left the castle in such a hurry, had no weapon of any kind, rendering him defenseless.

"Did you do this?" he questioned, gritting his teeth.

"Let's just say that I had a man on the inside, shall we?" she replied with a wicked grin.

"Why are you here?"

"Because today is the day that we settle this," she looked at him intently, drawing her sword, "today is the day that I write my name into Narnian history, as the one who defeated the famous Caspian X."

At that moment, the sound of marching feet echoed through the woods. It was the sound of an army.

"At any moment, my troops will be here, Caspian. And we will take over. Will you surrender now?"

Looking at her incredulously, he knew that as much as he wanted to go after Susan, this was more important.

"I surrender to no one, especially the leader of the group that wants to overrun Narnia. My men will meet you in battle."

"Always doing things the hard way, Caspian. Very well. You have fifteen minutes till my army kicks down your front door. I suggest you get a move on."

Giving her one last look, the king urged his horse back to the castle, as fast as it could go. _Aslan, I need help. I don't know how I'm going to win this one. Help me, please._

The emergency bells resounded feverishly throughout the kingdom, prompting all civilians to take shelter, and the men of the royal army to take their positions in the armory. Caspian passed quickly through the crowded room, making his way to the room where his weapons were housed.

Laying his hand on the handle of the door, he stopped a minute. Inside, he could hear, were voices. He could distinctly make out all four voices of his friends, but there was a softer voice that he couldn't make out. Pressing his ear to the door, the fifth voice became louder to him. His eyes widened in shock. This voice carried an accent different than that of his Hispanic friends. This voice was distinctly, unquestionably, English.

Shoving the heavy doors open, Caspian was met with the sight of all four of his compadres faces, along with three, obviously paler ones.

"Hey there, Caspian," Edmund Pevensie said with a smile. His two other siblings smiled as well.

_Thank you, Aslan._

* * *

She had been in the woods alone for not more than ten minutes, when she heard the marching. Curious, she veered Regio toward the source of the sound. Making sure that both she and the horse stayed under the cover of the trees and bushes, she stopped when she found what she was looking for.

Marching across the rugged terrain of the woods were hundreds of armored soldiers. A few of the higher ranking officials rode their horses along the sides, while the rest of the army marched in step. All of them had the same symbol on the breastplate of their armor-a triangle, with a snake coiled around it. It was a sign that Susan had seen before.

It was then that she realized that the whole of the Underground army had been unleashed against Caspian and his kingdom.

Pulling out of her hiding place, she rode to a place in the woods that put plenty of distance between her and the enemy army. Dismounting her horse, she walked around, troubled.

"What am I to do, Regio?" she asked quietly, "Do I go back and help him, even though he doesn't want me there?"

The horse, as if on cue, bowed his head, indicating a 'yes'. She looked at him, exasperated.

"Are you sure?" another bow.

"Very well, then. Thanks for making my mind up for me."

She climbed back on, stuck her feet in the stirrups, grabbed the reigns, and made a quick break back to the castle.

_Wonderful, Susan Pevensie. Taking advice from a horse. Best idea you've had in years._

* * *

Caspian's troops had been lined up out front of the castle for almost ten minutes, before he walked out, top generals and Pevensie siblings in tow. The marching had been getting consistently louder, like a clock ticking down to their ultimate demise.

Eventually, the forest seemed to open, revealing a host of hundreds of soldiers. All of them followed a single figure, whose infamous silver hair billowed out behind her like a flag. All in all, it was a fearsome sight to behold. Narnia's most bloodthirsty and driven warriors, all together in one place, looking straight at the king they despised.

Swallowing hard, Caspian looked down at Lucy, who gave him a reassuring smile. Glancing toward the other side of the battlefield, he could see the two royal brothers conversing.

"I _did_ have plans to go golfing today," Peter muttered, adjusting his armor.

"Oh, please," Edmund came back with, putting his hand on his sword, "you would seriously take _golfing _over _this_?"

"Huh. A nice, quiet game of golf, which contains no real life or death situations, or this. An impromptu battle against the people hell-bent on destroying Caspian. Life or death situations included."

"And?"

"You're right. I'd much rather be here," the magnificent king agreed with a smile.

"Everyone is accounted for, Scara. We are ready," announced General Ramirez to his commanding officer.

With a smile, she nodded to him. Watching him walk back to her troops, she moved her hand up to feel the chain around her neck.

_Torin, I hope that I've pleased you up until this point. Protect the men, and watch over me. I go to battle today with our enemy for the both of us. I love you, and I know that you're with me in this. _

Drawing her sword, she could hear the loud roar of her army behind her. And then, in one breathless moment, she lowered the tip of the blade so that it was pointing directly towards Caspian. She then nudged her horse, moving it into a gallop. Her men, running, followed behind her.

Caspian, taking a deep breath, turned to his own troops. He removed his sword from its sheath, and swung it over his head, so that it pointed at the approaching army. Like Scara, he spurred his horse, and began to move his army.

It wasn't long before the two forces collided, steel against steel. Almost immediately, the king lost sight of Scara, making him panic. She could be anywhere. And she was out to kill him.

This was going to be a long evening.

* * *

Galloping back toward the castle as fast as Regio would go, Susan could hear the sound of the two armies colliding. She emerged from the woods to a spectacle that she hadn't seen since Miraz. The two armies were deadlocked, Caspian's men defending the kingdom with their lives, Scara's men trying to break through to the other side of the field.

Moving herself and Regio out of sight, she took a back way to the palace, slipping in through the deserted village. Her horse's hooves clacked loudly on the cobblestone streets, the sound being magnified by the lack of activity in the area.

Reaching the inner gate of the castle, she found it open, with no guards patrolling the vicinity. Confused, she continued on, destined for the armory.

Caspian was finding himself to be a very popular opponent for Scara's men indeed. Dodging a blow from an axe, he thrust his sword out into the wielder, making him collapse. Looking over, he saw both Peter and Edmund taking care of the Underground soldiers like they were paper dolls. They made it look so easy. Lucy was out on the field as well, bottle of cordial in her hand.

Every now and then, he would see a quick flash of silver, but then it disappeared, leaving him in search of the head knight yet again.

Turning around, he found himself being double teamed, by two hulking soldiers. The one on the right jabbed his hand forward, dealing Caspian a blow to the stomach. Falling to the ground in pain, he struggled helplessly as one of the men picked him up by the neck, holding him, so that the other man could get a clean shot at him with his sword.

Just as the sharp piece of metal was about to come down on the king, there was a quick hiss, followed by the man with the sword falling down dead. Another hiss, and the man holding Caspian was down, taking the king with him.

Struggling to find his footing as he tried to get up, he looked over at one of the men that had suddenly fallen. There, protruding from his back, was an arrow, its bright red feathers rustling in the breeze.

Whirling around to see who had fired the shot, a sense of hope filled him. He knew those arrows anywhere.

She was there. Susan, bow in hand, clad in her armor, hair flowing behind her. And he had never seen anything more beautiful. She looked at him briefly, crystal blue eyes penetrating the darkness of his own. It was clear that she was still very much hurt and he could tell that it had taken her great courage and strength to come back.

Just as he was about to approach her, she fired off two more shots, killing another two Underground soldiers that were coming after him. Casting a glance behind him, he smiled. _What a woman._

Rain had begun to fall from the unhappy clouds overhead, cooling the hundreds of bodies on the field. The battle still raged on, every member from each party giving it their all. Caspian found himself still searching for Scara, and on the lookout for Susan, who had somehow escaped from him.

Susan, who had made a point of distancing herself from the young king, was busy over on the far side of the field, fighting off Scara's higher ranking officials. One of them was about to take a stab at her, but his sword was deflected by the blade of one of Caspian's soldiers. It gave Susan just enough time to pull her small knife out of her boot, and stick it into the man's chest.

She watched as the soldier who had saved her pulled the knife out of the general, wipe it on the grass, and gave it back to her.

"Here you go, Su," a very English voice said happily.

"Ed?"

Edmund lifted the mask off his helmet, giving his older sister a grin. And before she could say anything else to him, he pulled the piece of metal back down, and dashed off to join Peter.

Taking a moment to clean her sword, Scara stepped back into the cover of the trees, watching the battle. When she was content that the sharp blade was decent, she looked back out over the two armies.

Admittedly, she hadn't planned on there being this much resistance, but she had come too far to simply go back empty handed.

With a sigh, she was about to go back out onto the field, but then something caught her eye. In the far corner of the field, talking to one of Caspian's soldiers, was…no, that couldn't be. A woman.

Squinting her eyes so that she could see who this female fighter was, she could feel herself take a step back.

"Queen Susan," she gasped in disbelief, "how the hell did you get back here?"

Putting aside the anger that the queen's reappearance brought her, she could think of only one promising thought.

_Where there's a queen, there's a king._

* * *

Shooting off another arrow, Susan watched as it struck yet another Underground soldier, causing him to collapse. A spike of satisfaction trickled into her bloodstream, as guilty as it made her feel.

_Not so much a 'gentle queen' today, are we, Susan?_

Suddenly, a hand grabbing hold of her arm broke her of her thoughts. Spinning around, ready to stab whoever had a hold of her, she found herself staring into the face of Caspian.

"Moves like that are going to get you killed," she said angrily, yanking her arm away from him.

"If we're being honest, I would much rather be killed by you than anyone else on this field, my lady," he retorted with a devilish grin. She turned from him, trying her hardest to hide the smile that was tugging at her lips.

"Well, since we're being honest," she spoke carefully, "I want to know why you sent me away. I want to hear it from your own mouth."

"I never did send you away, my love," he said quietly, walking closer to her.

"Don't you call me that," she yelled, turning around to punch him in the chest, "you said, in your letter, that I was no longer 'your love'. You didn't need me anymore," another punch, "you didn't want me, I wasn't good enough," and yet another punch, "and that I should leave. Sound familiar?"

At this point, she was just hitting him, her hands beginning to hurt from their contact with his hard breastplate.

"Susan," he said soothingly, "Susan, stop."

He took hold of both her hands, looking at her with a small grin.

"I never wrote a letter to you, my lady."

"Wha…" she began, looking up at him hopefully, "but it was signed by you…it had your personal seal on the envelope…"

"There are only two people who have access to my seal, Susan. One being me, the other being the person whom I share a room with."

"Lady Ethine?"

"It would appear to be so, my darling. No, I never wrote you anything. It looks like we were both cheated on this one. Please just forget everything that was said in that horrible letter," he smiled, taking her waist in his arms.

She looked at him, the sparkle beginning to come back to her eyes.

"I love you, my queen," he grinned, moving a strand of hair out of her eyes with a gloved hand, "and all I ask is that you tell me you love me in return."

"I don't have to tell you," she said softly, cocking her head to the side, "when I can show you."

And with those words, he felt her hand against his neck, bringing her lips closer to his. Taking his face in her hands, she gently pressed her mouth to his, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He pressed her closer to him, feeling his heart begin to mend itself. Everything was now right with the world. Letting go of her, he gave her a smile that made her heart skip a beat, as he rushed back into the action of the fight. With a small laugh, she followed suit.

* * *

Not after even ten minutes of her rejoining the battle, Susan, after making yet another kill, heard something that she had no desire to.

"Oh, Susan. How is it that we keep on running into each other?"

Grabbing the sword of the man that she had just killed, the brunette queen turned to face the voice that had just spoken to her. Scara stood there, her own sword in hand, with a grin that was colder than ice itself.

"I just want to make this quick and easy, if that's alright with you," the knight sneered, swinging the sword in her hand.

Before Susan had a chance to respond, Scara lunged at her, beginning their duel. Having some experience with a blade from her brothers, the queen was able to block the attack, driving her opponent's sword into the slick grass.

Their fighting went on for a while like this, Scara dealing the blows, and Susan blocking them. The knight, who was beginning to tire of her pointless duel with the queen, put a new move into her arsenal, one that her opponent didn't see coming.

Susan ended up on the ground, not sure of what had just happened. Looking around at the moving feet for a moment, she could feel the knight's foot ramming into her back in a kick. Yelling out in pain for a moment, she tried to get up off the ground.

The sound of a familiar yell caused Caspian to look up from pulling his weapon out of the dead man before him, and glance across the field. Susan lay on the ground, writhing in pain, as Scara kicked her, over and over again.

Dismissing whatever else he had to do, he began to make his way over to where the queen was, as fast as he could.

Finally feeling the strength come back to her legs, Susan managed to pull herself up into a standing position, while Scara walked away, preparing for another kick. On her way up, she had grabbed the knife out of her boot, and was now palming it in her hand.

The knight turned around, and was met by Susan grabbing the back of her neck, while placing a sharp knife at the front.

"Drop it," the queen ordered, glancing at the sword in her opponent's hand. The sword hit the wet grass with a thud.

"Susan," came the breathless voice of the king.

With a smile, she turned Scara around to face Caspian, all the while keeping the knife at her throat. He looked at the captive, pleasantly surprised.

"Well done, my darling," he laughed, sheathing his sword for a moment.

Scara looked around at her troops, almost panicking. But then, she caught the eyes of both her beloved henchmen, Hagar and Jyre. They looked at each other, and began walking towards her.

Reaching her hand down her side as far as it could go, and then bringing her leg up to meet it, she slid her fingers into the side of her boot, where her most prized possession was cool against her hand.

Suddenly, Caspian felt two giant hands on his shoulders, clenching shut around his armor. He cast a glance toward the duo standing near him, overcome by a wave of fear.

Once the two men that had the king in their clutches secured him, they nodded at Scara, who slowly lowered her foot back down to the ground.

"You should have known, my dear queen," the knight said menacingly, not wincing once at the sharp blade at her throat, "that I would not go down so easily."

She then jerked her hand back, causing something to shine in the reflection of the clouds. And then it was gone.

Staring in horror, Caspian watched as Susan's face turned a ghostly white. Her trembling hand let go of the knife at Scara's neck, dropping it to the ground. And then, she crumpled, at the heels of her opponent.

"NO!" the king screamed, the single word ripping through his lungs, breaking his heart in two.

"Hold him," Scara ordered to the men restraining the king, as she walked around the now ailing queen. Kneeling down, she quickly pulled her weapon out of Susan's abdomen, causing her to groan loudly in pain.

"Remember this?" she questioned maliciously, holding up what had stabbed the queen. In her hand was her beautifully wicked dagger, its blade now dripping with crimson blood.

"If it comforts you at all, Caspian, the damage inflicted by the dagger isn't great enough to kill her. But we simply can't have that, can we? That would make things a bit too easy for my taste."

Placing one hand on the small hilt of the knife, and the other on the top, the knight slowly began to turn the handle, unscrewing it from the blade. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the soaking piece of metal fell to the ground, leaving Scara holding what now appeared to be a small vial.

"Do you know what this is, Caspian?" she asked calmly, uncorking the bottle.

"No," he grunted viciously, still trying to free himself from the clutches of Hagar and Jyre.

"The nectar of the Dragonflower. Extremely venomous, except to the bugs who live off it. This, my dear king, is what is going to kill her. Not the knife wound."

Calling three of her soldiers over to her, she stationed one at the feet of the queen, one more holding her arms above her head, and the third keeping her torso from twisting.

"Caspian," Susan whimpered as she struggled against the men holding her down, "Caspian, please…"

"Scara, Scara wait, please," he yelled to her, feeling his voice begin to break, "I'll give you what you want. Anything you want. Please," he pressed on, becoming choked with emotion, "please, just do no harm to her. I beg of you."

Turning her head to look up at the king, the knight grinned wickedly.

"I _will_ get what my people and I want. You can count on that, Caspian. We've come too far, and fought too hard to back down now. But this? No. You see…I like to live by the eye for an eye doctrine. You robbed me of the love of my life. And so now, it's your turn."

With that, she turned back towards Susan with a smile.

"So sorry about this."

Turning the vial over, the king watched in horror as a black liquid dripped out, falling toward the open wound below. As soon as the first drop hit her, she screamed out in pain, contorting her body.

"Scara, please!" Caspian cried, his voice broken by sobs.

The drops kept on coming, until the bottle was empty. Each black tear was more painful than the last, and Susan could tell that she was fading quickly. She couldn't scream anymore, as her whole body had gone numb.

She cast one last, loving gaze at her king, who looked heartbreakingly at her, urging her to hold on for a little while longer. As much as she wanted to oblige, she could practically feel her life slipping away from her.

Closing her eyes, she called out to Aslan.

_Keep them safe, my king. Watch over him and my siblings. Let them know my love for them._

The last thing she heard was Caspian, her king, her friend, and her love, crying out in sorrow.

And then, darkness.

**From the Author: Whew. First chapter of the summer! Yay! What did you guys think? Sorry it took so long…I've just been so busy! Alrighty. In the hopes of keeping this nice and short, it would be awesome if you would let me know what you thought of the chapter! Yeah, that review button needs some love. ;) Thanks, guys!**

**-Gabby**


	14. Truce and Tragedy

**Disclaimer: Dear Genie from Aladdin, I wish I owned these characters. I can't? Well, I know they don't belong to me, but…fine. I own the characters that I own, I guess. **

From across the field, all three of the Pevensie siblings remaining heard the same thing, chilling them to the bone. A young woman, screaming in agony, followed by a young man, whose very heart seemed to be breaking.

"Caspian!" Lucy shouted to her brothers, a look of distress coming across her face.

Both Peter and Edmund understood, and began to run over to the other side of the field, where the sound of his voice had come from.

* * *

On the opposite side of the battlefield, the king of New Telmar watched hopelessly as the high queen of old went limp against the wet grass. It had begun to pour, the cool rain mixing with the hot tears that burned his eyes.

He still found himself in the clutches of the two massive henchmen, trying desperately to get away. He knew that, since the first drop of poison had hit her wound, the clock had been ticking for Susan. And now, he couldn't do anything to help her, as he was trapped by the two hulking men.

It was just as he was having this despairing thought, that he heard both Hagar and Jyre scream out in pain. Looking over to Jyre, he did a double take. A long blade, covered in shining blood, was now protruding from his chest. Casting a glance towards Hagar, he saw the same thing happening.

Both huge men fell to the ground, releasing the king from their clutches. Looking both to his left and right, he saw both Edmund and Peter, with Lucy coming up behind them. Taking half a second to look at their curious faces, Caspian then scrambled over to where Susan lay, lifeless.

"Lucy!" he called to the youngest Pevensie urgently. She and her brothers came running. As soon as the trio set eyes on their sister, they stopped cold. The looks on all their faces were identical – stunned shock.

"Please!" the king yelled to Lucy again, breaking her out of her trance-like state. She ran over to where her sister lay, grabbing her bottle of cordial out of her belt.

It was then that a wildly savage scream filled the air. Scara, who had been tied up with one of Caspian's soldiers momentarily, was back, and willing to do anything to keep the girl on the ground from waking.

Grabbing Lucy round the waist, the king flung themselves out of the way of Scara's sword, paying careful attention that the small queen escaped uninjured. Rounding back up with the two brothers, the king looked at them hopelessly.

Scara was now standing in front of Susan, guarding her from the three young men. Her bloodied sword was gripped in her hand, expression wild. Silver hair, damp from the rain, clung to her face, masking the dried blood of her opponents spattered on her skin.

"There's no way she's going to give us enough time to administer the cordial out on the field, Caspian," Peter said quietly, his troubled mind trying to analyze the situation as fast as it could.

"What are we to do, then?" the Telmarine king asked, frantic.

"Ed and I will engage her, and keep her busy, while Lucy will give you her cordial. It will then be your task to take Susan to the medical wing, where you find the doctor, and have him administer the cordial as soon as possible. Do you understand?" the elder Pevensie relayed the plan to Caspian, never once taking his eyes off of the silver knight. All the king managed to do was nod.

"We're entrusting her to you now, Caspian. Keep her safe," Lucy said quietly, placing the small bottle of cordial in his hands. He looked at her, her usually calm and knowledgeable blue eyes now filled with fear. He then glanced around at her brothers, who shared almost an identical expression.

"I will do my best," the king spoke, his voice constricted with emotion. Both Peter and Edmund nodded to him, determination ablaze in their eyes.

Calling one of the palace horses over to him, Caspian cast another look at the woman on the ground. Her eyes were closed, and her body was limp. Her dark hair was clinging to her face, as well as lying lifeless on the wet grass. The blood from the knife wound was now seeping into her clothes, rendering a very helpless picture indeed.

Scara was still waiting, eyes locked with Peter's.

"Ready?" the high king called to both his other siblings, and Caspian, gripping his sword tighter in his hands. He could see all three of them nod to him through his peripheral vision. He then let out a mighty yell, and charged straight toward the knight, with Edmund at his side.

Scara automatically engaged both of them, thrashing her sword around wildly. Eventually, she became so preoccupied fighting the pair of brothers that she didn't see Caspian riding behind her, straight toward her victim.

When he finally reached the ailing queen, Caspian wasted no time in jumping off his horse, scooping Susan up in his arms, and putting her atop the beast. He climbed back on, and spurred the animal into a full gallop back toward the castle.

Rushing through the gates, he found himself surrounded by deserted village. The streets were quiet, which seemed to amplify every noise that his horse made. Even so, he raced down the cobblestone streets as fast as the animal he was on would carry them.

After what seemed like forever, he finally reached the medical wing of the castle. Dismounting his horse, he gently slid the queen into his arms, and ran into the infirmary.

The infirmary was a large room, with a high ceiling. It had many windows, and a large doorway that led to a balcony, overlooking Narnia. The area that was right in front of the entryway was specifically designed for waiting. It was filled with plush benches and chairs, with large pillows on the floor. Beyond that, there were rows of beds, each with a beautifully decorated divider separating it from the others. A small fire resided in the middle of the room, burning a very lightly scented incense. And above all, the room seemed vacant. There was no one in any of the beds, and the doctor couldn't be seen anywhere.

Staggering around for a moment or two, trying to catch his breath, the king looked around frantically for someone to help him.

"Hello?" he called out, cradling Susan in his arms, "Is anyone here? Doctor? I need help! Please! Hello?"

He continued to walk farther in the room, becoming more and more desperate with every step.

"Will someone help me, please!" he cried out, feeling his voice threatening to crack.

"I'm coming, just as soon as I can!" another voice answered him. Suddenly, a door swung open from the back, and a short, old man rushed out to meet him. As soon as the doctor saw who he was in the presence of, he quickly grabbed the sides of his robe, and bowed.

"Doctor, please," Caspian stuttered as he looked down at the bloody and bruised face of his love, "Queen Susan is in dire need of your help."

As soon as his patient's name escaped the king's mouth, the doctor's eyes widened.

"Quick, get her onto one of the beds!" He commanded, as Caspian moved to the nearest bed, and placed her gently on top of it.

The doctor quickly washed his hands in a basin of water next to the bed, and began to inspect his patient. His eyes were immediately drawn to the bloody wound on her torso.

"What happened to her?" He questioned as he inspected the source of the bleeding.

"She was stabbed…in her torso…" the king managed to explain as he ran his hand over his face, becoming more and more agitated as the moments ticked by. Seeing this, the doctor turned toward his king.

"With all due respect, my king, I'm going to have to ask you to wait over by the entrance," he said slowly, noticing the bottle of cordial hanging from his belt, "and may I have Queen Lucy's cordial, if you please?"

Nodding, the king hastily untied the bottle from his belt, and handed it to the old man. He then looked down at Susan one more time, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"It's all going to be alright, my love. Hold on for me, okay?" he whispered softly, feeling a hot tear roll down his cheek.

Brushing it off, he stood up, patted the doctor on the shoulder, and walked over to the waiting area.

* * *

Peter's sword clashed against Scara's for what seemed to be the millionth time that day. He and Edmund had been trying to take this woman down for at least fifteen minutes after Caspian had left them.

Eventually, one of the knight's soldiers stepped in to help, leaving Peter to face the wild, wicked woman by himself. It was then that a flurry of Underground soldiers rushed past him, making it nearly impossible to see his opponent.

When the traffic had cleared, both brother's fighting opponents had vanished, leaving them looking around the field in confusion.

Over on the other side of the field, both Scara and her solider were now tangled up with Dominic, the king's best friend. Though he was a good fighter, he was still young, and Scara knew that. Taking advantage of his lack of skill, Scara and her mystery soldier cornered him, ready to kill.  
Just as she was about to swing her sword, however, one of Caspian's generals blocked her attack, engaging her in another fight.

"Kill him!" the silver knight screamed to her soldier, who now had the young man at sword point. She then proceeded to dispatch of the general, who fell at her feet.

"Did you not hear me, soldier?" she questioned, dislodging her sword from the dead man, "Kill him."

"I can't…" came the soft reply of the soldier, who seemed afraid.

"You _dare_ to refuse your commanding officer?" the knight asked quietly, her teeth gritted together. Her thirst for blood had put her patience on the edge of a knife, and this soldier had just crossed the boundaries.

"I'm sorry, Scara, I can't," the quiet voice said again. The sword in the soldier's hand dropped to the ground, giving Dominic the perfect opportunity to clamber off the ground, and run back into the midst of the battle.

"And now you let my enemy escape. There is no excuse for that," Scara raised her voice slightly, her tone venomous.

It was then that she took her sword, and slashed her soldier across the back, as hard as she possibly could. Almost immediately, the victim fell to the ground, writhing.

Walking over to her fallen soldier, she knelt down, and removed the helmet he wore. To her shock, it wasn't one of her soldiers at all. Instead, she found herself looking into the emerald green eyes of the current queen of New Telmar.

"You said…that no civilians would be…hurt," Ethine gasped, fighting her demise.

"My dear queen, these aren't civilians, they are soldiers," Scara said coolly, feeling minimal remorse for what she had just done.

"They are citizens…of New Telmar…and they're dying…"

"I lied. And besides. I just needed you to keep the castle gates open. And as of thus far, they haven't closed. So thank you, Lady Ethine, you are no longer of use to me."

Having said her last words to the dying queen of New Telmar, she stood up, grabbed her sword, and ran back into the fight.

"Scara! Scara, please…" Ethine breathed, feeling herself fade away, "come back."

Watching the world blur around her, the queen of both Telmar and Narnia shed a single tear, and looked up into the dripping clouds.

"Forgive me, Caspian."

And she was gone.

* * *

It had been almost half an hour since Caspian had arrived with Susan to the infirmary. Half an hour of him sitting, helpless, letting the doctor work on his Susan. Finally, the doctor came out from behind the divider.

Caspian had been so anxious that he almost knocked over the seat he was sitting on when he first caught sight of the older gentleman. Rushing over to meet him, he could barely contain himself.

"Doctor, how is she? When may I see her?"

"I would like to inform you that the cordial worked wonderfully, my lord. It healed all her wounds beautifully," the doctor stated slowly.

"Yes, that's fantastic," the king said, slightly distracted, "but when may I see her?"

"In just a moment," said the doctor softly, "But first, more about the cordial. As you know, the cordial heals flesh wounds. It mends broken bones, punctured lungs, etcetera."

"Yes, I know," Caspian answered, slightly annoyed.

"Was Queen Susan getting stabbed the only reason why she is here? Because the wound was not that great. Did you tell me everything?"

Taking a moment to pause, Caspian thought back. Had he told the doctor everything?

_"The nectar of the Dragonflower. Extremely venomous, except to the bugs who live off it. This, my dear king, is what is going to kill her. Not the knife wound."_

No. No, he hadn't.

"She…she was poisoned," the king explained, becoming rather inarticulate, "but the cordial can cure that, yes?"

"Sire, one thing that the cordial _does not_ do is search out harmful pathogens in the blood stream, such as poison," the doctor stammered, averting his eyes from his king.

"What are you saying?" Caspian whispered to him, looking down at the old man in horror.

"I…" the doctor fumbled with his words for a moment.

"Doctor!" the king cried, feeling his heart race.

The old man looked up at his king, lip trembling.

"She is dead, my lord."

* * *

Finally, after several more agonizing minutes of searching, Peter finally came across Scara again. He wasted no time in attacking her, seeing that she had grown slightly weary from fighting.

The knight suddenly found herself being bombarded with attacks from the high king of old. And as much as she tried, she just couldn't keep up with his speed and agility. Swinging her sword wildly, she gave up on technique, and found herself fighting to stay alive.

In watching her attacks, Peter noticed a large flaw in one of the knight's moves. When she swung her sword at him, she left a large majority of her face exposed. Knowing what he had to do, the high king waited for her to perform that one move again.

After some amount of time, she did it again, and he was ready. Dodging her blow, he brought his arm around, letting the top of the blade come down on her face. The sharpened metal quickly slid right across her right eye, turning her face into a bloody mess.

Flailing wildly, she crumpled at his feet, unconscious.

Satisfaction filled his system, as he lifted his blade over his head, ready to skewer her. Just as his hand was coming down, however, another sword blocked his own. Suddenly, Peter found himself looking into the face of General Ramirez, head general for the Underground army.

"You've killed her already," he said gruffly, "spare her the second honor of your sword, and we will retreat."

Looking into the general's eyes, the king saw nothing but the blatant truth.

"Very well. Collect your dead, and then be gone," he told the general flatly, who nodded briskly.

Finding a horse, the king mounted it, and made his way over to Caspian's head general, Javier Martinez.

"Truce! Scara has fallen! Enough for one day!" he could hear General Ramirez call to his troops in the background.

"What is the meaning of this?" Javier asked, glancing over at the retreating enemy.

"The Underground's leader has fallen. They have called a truce. I have allowed them the right to collect their dead. Tell our men to get the wounded on horses, and to collect our own dead. Once every last Underground soldier has left, they may return to the castle."

"Yes, sire."

Peter then turned his attention to finding his brother and sister. It took only a moment to locate both of them.

"Susan!" he called to both of them, who understood. They both mounted their horses, and rode with their brother back to the castle.

* * *

_No. No, no no, no. _

It seemed to be the only word that Caspian could think of. Before he knew what he was doing, he was running. Past the doctor, past the divider, over to where his Susan lay. She was no longer wearing her armor, but rather, just a simple white shirt. Her face appeared to be peaceful, almost as if she were sleeping.

He ran to her side, refusing to believe that what the doctor said was true. Taking her arm in his hand, he pressed two fingers down on the inside of her wrist. Nothing. Feeling his heart sink a little lower, he gently put her arm back down. He then took his fingers, and moved them to the side of her neck, searching for a pulse there. Again, nothing. Lastly, he desperately placed his ear to her heart, praying for a response. Silence.

He sat back up, looking into the face of the queen. It was in that moment that it seemed like the whole of Caspian's world seemed to crumble around him. Feeling his eyes well up with tears, he dropped his head into her stomach, taking a hold of her hand in the process, and sobbed silently.

The doctor watched sadly on, as his king's strong shoulders trembled with sorrow. Bowing his head, he walked slowly back to the fire in the middle of the room, and sat, staring into the flames.

After a few moments, Caspian lifted his head to look at his queen again. Her face was still covered in blood and dirt, as well as her arms. Standing up, he ripped off his armor, placing it in a pile next to the divider. Wiping his eyes with his sleeve, he walked over to where the now empty basin of water sat.

Taking a pitcher of water, he refilled the basin. He then grabbed a cloth from a nearby shelf, and placed it in the liquid. Trying his hardest to keep his tears under control, he wrung the cloth out, and sat next to Susan on her bed.

He gently pushed her hair out of the way, and softly began to remove the dry dirt and blood from her features. He tenderly cleaned every part of her face, letting the water wash away the grime of the battle.

"Don't leave me, carina," he whispered through his tears, "Por favor, don't leave me."

Placing the cloth back in the basin, he gathered her in his arms, resting his head on top of hers. Salty droplets fell from his eyes of their own accord, flowing into her hair.

"I need you, Susan," he sighed, still cradling her, "Mi reina, mi amor, mi corazon."

It was then that he heard the infirmary doors open, and Peter's voice ringing out in the room.

"Where is she? Where are Susan and Caspian?"

Laying Susan back down in the bed, Caspian got up to answer the high king.

"She is here," he called back, his voice sounding tired. The sound of three pairs of footsteps came running toward him. Soon, the king found himself looking at the faces of the remaining Pevensie siblings.

The three of them looked at him for a moment, and then looked over at their sister.

"Asleep?" Edmund asked, his tone hopeful.

"I'm afraid not," Caspian answered sadly, unable to look at any of the siblings. The room was then filled with each of their audible gasps.

There was a moment of pure silence, but then it was broken by the soft cries of the youngest Pevensie, as she walked over to where her sister lay. Edmund seemed to be frozen to the spot, as if he was too shocked to move. Peter was quiet too, until he suddenly lunged at the king.

"YOU…YOU FOUL GIT! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KEEP HER SAFE!" he screamed, as he tried to get his hands around Caspian's neck, "THIS IS YOUR DOING!"

"PETER PEVENSIE!" Edmund roared at his brother, pulling him off of Caspian, "This isn't his fault, and you know it! We can't blame this on anyone."

Staggering back, Peter nodded, knowing his brother was right. His face was now streaked and puffy from tears.

"Sorry, Caspian. I just…" he stammered, looking for the right words.

"It's alright. I understand," the dark haired king answered, feeling so emotionally drained.

"How come," Lucy began, mopping her eyes with her sleeve, "the cordial didn't work?"

"According to the doctor, the cordial only heals physical wounds, such as mending broken bones, and stitching torn skin back together. That was what Susan had, but she had poison injected into her bloodstream. And apparently, the cordial can't heal that." Caspian explained, holding back another wave of tears.

There was a long silence, where the only sounds that could be heard were the soft sniffles of everyone in the infirmary.

"What are we going to do then?" Edmund questioned softly, breaking the harsh silence.

"We can have her cleaned up, and let the public pay their respects tomorrow, if you'd like," Caspian sighed, pulling over a bench and sitting down, "and then we can have her buried."

"That sounds reasonable," Peter agreed, running a hand over his face, "what are we to do with her tonight?"

"Why don't we just let her rest here for the night?" the king suggested, "I will stay with her."

The siblings looked at each other, and then at Caspian. They all nodded their heads in sorrowful approval. Suddenly, the doors swung open again, this time, yielding a much louder noise.

Casting a glance at the door, Caspian saw all of his wounded men being carried in by their fellow soldiers. One by one, they filled up the empty beds, prompting the doctor to send for his attendants as he got to work on each of the wounded.

Looking at the men, Lucy's heart sank. Many were limping, some looked lifeless, and all of their faces showed the pain and suffering that they were going through. Soft groans could be heard all throughout the room, breaking the youngest Pevensie's heart.

Grabbing her cordial off of Susan's bedside table, she ran over to the doctor, who took it gratefully. She then walked back over to where her brothers and the king were standing, feeling rather tired. Taking Peter's hand in her own, she looked up at him with swollen eyes.

"Can we go now?" she whispered, her voice light.

The eldest Pevensie looked at his youngest sister, feeling the rest of his heart break. Even though she was much older now than when he had last did this, he hoisted her up in his arms, carrying her.

"You ready, Ed?" his brother nodded back.

The three of them slowly walked away from their sister, to the doors of the infirmary. Just as they were about to leave, though, Peter turned back around, and looked at the lone king.

"Thank you, Caspian. I know how hard you tried," he said, teeth gritted together to keep from crying again. He watched as Caspian nodded stiffly back at him, and then turned back around, walking out the door.

Caspian turned back to Susan, pretending that she was only asleep. Swapping the bench for a comfier chair, he sat right next to her bed, stroking her hair.

Darkness was beginning to cloak the sky, the rain coming in torrents now. The fire in the middle of the room burned brighter, as candles and torches were starting to be lit all around the room.

Listening to the sound of his men in their anguish prompted the king to go around and pay small visits to all his soldiers that were able to have company, thanking them for their service. Eventually, he made his way back to where his queen was, taking his seat next to her.

Night crept into the infirmary, sending the tired souls to sleep. Taking his love's hand in his own, the king closed his eyes, and fell into the most fitful night of sleep he had ever had.

All through the night, the rain pounded against the castle, and lightning flickered across the sky. And, every so often, the sound of a great lion's cry came, hidden within the rolls of thunder in the deep.

**A/N: Hey, guys! First things first. Sorry that this chapter is so unbelievably short, but let me tell you, it was surprisingly emotionally draining to write! Haha. Second, OH MY GOD, IT'S THE SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER! Wow. Took me long enough. :) Third, let me know what you thought of it! Leave a review, send a message, do what you gotta do. Ahaha. Fourth, anyone see the last Harry Potter film? O_o Fo' real. Alright! So. That's all I have for you today, gang! Thanks so much for reading, and don't forget to review. Cause you're cool like that. Hehe. **

**~Gabby**


	15. The End

**A/N: YAY! IT R B THE LAST CHAPTER! Haha. Yep, that's right, after you get to the bottom of this page, you will have successfully come to the end. I'm sorry that it's taken so long to finish-it's just been such a busy time! Regardless, I just wanted to thank all of you that have stuck with this story till the very end, who have reviewed, favorited, and added the story to your alerts. It means a lot. :) **

**With that being said, I would like to dedicate this last chapter firstly to the wonderful **_**mae-E**_**, who has been with both my stories from the very beginning, and whose helpful comments and thought provoking questions have been awesome. Secondly, to the more recent reader, **_**FelipeMarcusThomas**_**, whose 'review-while-reading' comments were a blast to read, and were very helpful in seeing what people thought of my characters. Lastly, I'd like to dedicate it to **_**you**_**, if you've been with Susan and Caspian from the first chapter. :)**

**OKAY! Ladies and gents, I present you with the final installment of 'Her White Knight'. BOOYAH.**

**Spanish translations: So I had a request to translate the Spanish that Caspian used in the last chapter. Behold.**

**-"Don't leave me, carina," he whispered through his tears, "Por favor, don't leave me." - "Don't leave me, love"..."Please, don't leave me."  
-"I need you, Susan," he sighed, still cradling her, "Mi reina, mi amor, mi corazon."- "My queen, my love, my heart."**

**Disclaimer: Now I really wish I owned these characters…as it would appear that I've somehow killed all mine off. Nooooooo! :(**

A pale sunrise graced the skies over New Telmar, softly illuminating the dewy grass in light sunshine. The vacant cobblestone streets of the village were slowly becoming inhabited, shaken up villagers beginning to reopen their shops and start selling their goods again. The amount of bloodshed that the day prior had brought was still unknown to them.

The fact that their precious high queen of old was now lying lifeless in the castle infirmary was also unknown to them, but the rumors had begun to swirl. Soldiers who had been on the field as well were beginning to tell stories. Horrible stories, visions of their queen falling to the ground in a heap. No one knew the exact whereabouts of the queen now, and what condition she was in. They could only hope for the best.

* * *

Feeling a gentle ray of sunlight touch his face through one of the infirmary's stained glass windows, Caspian slowly creaked his eyes open. For a split second, he thought that he was in his own bed, and that the events of yesterday had been a horrifyingly bad dream. It was then that he noticed his hand was still latched onto the gentle queen's, shattering his previous thought.

Her hand was paler than ever, and cold to the touch. Lifting his head up to look at her, she still looked as peaceful and restful as she had done the day before. Reaching his hand up to caress her cheek, he felt his heart ache.

"How can I be expected to live without you again, carina?" He sighed longingly, running his fingers through her hair.

The sound of the heavy doors opening once more caused the king to look up. In strolled Javier, Dominic, Roberto, and Antonio, looking around anxiously. Roberto caught Caspian's eye, and then gestured to the others to follow him. As soon as they reached their friend, all four sets of eyes widened.

Dominic was the first to break the uncomfortable silence.

"My apologies, compadre," he said softly, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder, "She's safe now."

"He's right," Roberto agreed, "she's probably smiling down on you as we speak."

"Thank you," the king said, trying his hardest to manage a smile.

"When do you plan on telling the public?" Antonio questioned, looking down at his feet.

"The announcement will be made in half an hour."

The five of them sat and stood together, gazing at the queen in a blanketing silence. One by one, they began to leave, off to visit the other beds, until only Javier was left. He began to speak quietly.

"I just wanted you to know that, while we were bringing in our soldiers, one of our men found something rather interesting." Caspian looked up at him.

"One of our dead men turned out to not be a man at all," he spoke slowly, "but rather the Queen of New Telmar."

"Ethine?"

"Indeed. It appears that she had been working with Scara, who is also dead, in order to have you. The bartender from the Forest's End Tavern claims to have served the two of them a drink before Ethine told him to leave."

"Scara is dead?" Caspian asked, finally receiving the first piece of good news he had heard in over twenty four hours.

"She is. King Peter can take the prize for that one," Javier mused.

"I shall have to thank him," the king remarked halfheartedly, turning his eyes back to Susan. Javier followed his gaze with a sad sigh.

"What I don't understand," the general began, walking over to take the bottle of cordial in his hand, "is why this didn't work."

Caspian looked over at what he held in his hand, and prepared to relay the doctor's explanation to his friend. But before he had even gotten the first word out of his mouth, he did a double take.

"Give me the bottle," he extended his arm, feeling his pace begin to quicken. Javier slowly placed the glass vial in his friend's hand.

Turning the bottle over in his palm, Caspian could feel the breath hitch in his throat. Resting atop the glass was a bronze plaque, where a large cat stared back at him with its softly carved eyes. Its mane flowed out from behind it, and two large teeth protruded from its snout. _The great lion._

Shooting up from the seat, the king looked at his general, a hopeful gleam in his eye.

"Javier, I need you to find King Peter, and tell him to wait on the announcement – I have one last idea," he put a hand on Javier's neck, "Thank you. Hurry!" His general understood, and bolted for the door.

"You," Caspian called over one of the doctor's attendants, "I need you to do something for me."

"Anything, sire," the young man said confidently.

"Will you run down to the stables, and bring me my horse?"

"Of course, my lord."

"Please go as quickly as you are able," the king said, the excitement building in his veins. He watched as the attendant nodded, and then dashed out of the room.

Not even five minutes later, and he was back, bringing Caspian's impressive black stallion with him. Without wasting a second, he gathered Susan in his arms, and hoisted her up onto the horse. Once she was on, he followed suit, spurring the horse into a gallop out of the infirmary.

Within seconds, he was out in the open, descending into the village. Pushing his horse faster, he watched as stores and houses flew past him, hoping that he was going fast enough that the villagers couldn't catch the identity rider and passenger.

After only a few more moments, he was in the clear, arriving at the large field at the foot of the village. A few stray rainclouds had rolled in, showering down a soft current of droplets onto the kingdom.

Getting off the horse so quickly that he almost tripped, Caspian slid his love into his arms, walking toward the center of the field.

Feeling the rain cool against his skin, he cast a quick glance around at his surroundings. No one as far as the eye could tell. Taking a deep breath, he gave a silent plea that what he was about to do would work.

"Aslan!" He called out to the vast space, "Aslan, I need you!"

After waiting a few moments, and getting no response, Caspian felt his heart sink. He prayed one last time for the lion, in desperation.

"Turn around, Caspian. I am here," a deep voice answered him, gentle as the shower around him.

Turning around slowly, the Telmarine king was suddenly staring into the warm, amber eyes of the great lion, Aslan. He watched as the king of all of Narnia flicked his eyes toward the dead girl lying limp in his arms. His expression was unreadable at first, but then a deep sadness blossomed in his honey colored orbs.

"Aslan," Caspian said at last, his nervous voice hitching in odd places, "I know that you have the power to save her. In my heart, I believe this to be true. So I ask that you show your mercy, and bring her back. The Pevensie family will not have lost a dear sister, Narnia will have not lost a precious queen, and you will not have lost a child. Please, my king, save her."

"And," the lion began after a small silence, "you will not have lost the woman whom you are in love with, correct?"

Feeling himself blush ever so slightly under the great king's stare, Caspian nodded slowly.

"If I may," he started, picking his words carefully, "I have my own reasons for wanting her back, Aslan. And believe me, they are very selfish."

To this, Aslan smiled softly, and gave him an encouraging nod, as if urging him to continue on.

"I've never felt the way I do about Susan with anyone else in my whole life, Aslan. It's like…I can't get enough of her. Her eyes, her hair, her lips, her laugh…everything about her is just so beautiful and perfect. And I know that we've only known each other for a short amount of time, but I feel like I've known her my whole life. I feel like I can trust her with anything, and that she'll understand. I hate the times when she isn't with me, which is why the past three years have been so awful for me. I want her with every fiber of my being, Aslan. I want her by my side forever. I can think of nothing better than to wake up next to her in the mornings, and to hold her close. I want her to be mine for the rest of my life." He sighed, feeling his emotions break through the cage of his heart, and come soaring out into the rain.

"And you love her?"

"With all of my heart, yes."

To this, the lion said nothing, but gestured to the king to lay the gentle queen down onto the ground.

The light shower still fell around them, giving the air a magical feel. Caspian carefully placed Susan onto the dewy grass, watching the misty droplets of rain land in her hair, coating it in glistening diamonds. Aslan looked at her for a while, before turning his gaze toward him.

"Stand aside, your majesty."

Caspian understood, and moved over about ten feet from where she lay. He watched as the lion paced around, in a tight circle, for a few moments. After a while, he stopped, and looked down to the girl limp on the ground.

"Susan Pevensie of Finchley, high queen of old, and a daughter of the king. Because of your faith, I breathe life into you once more. Arise, my child."

* * *

_She found herself in the thick of a multitude of fir branches, each one of them covered in puffy white snow. Gently pushing them out of the way, she watched as a small meadow came into view, surrounded by more snowy pine trees. The ground was coated in fluffy snow, at least a foot thick. _

_ Walking out into the open air, she watched as every breath she took slowly drifted up into the air, a misty concoction. Moving her ocean blue eyes around the scene she was in, they finally landed on the one non-Narnian object in her view. _

_ Taking slow, steady steps, she moved closer to the lamppost, eyes transfixed on the candles that were ablaze behind the glass. But, just as she was about to reach out and lay a hand on the frosty pole, she felt the strangest sensation._

_ Every part of her body began to tingle, starting from her head all the way down to her toes. She started to feel warm, even though it was snowing where she was. It was then that a thundering voice called out to her from the heavens._

_ "Arise, my child."_

_ Suddenly, an overpowering light poured from the clouds, nearly blinding her. Through all of this, she could feel her life being placed back in her-the blood running in her veins, her heart thumping in her chest, and the air filling her lungs._

* * *

She awoke, coughing and sputtering, gasping for air. Her fingers tightened against the ground, feeling the wet blades of grass in between her fingers.

Seeing what had just happened from a distance, Caspian put his hands over his mouth, tears of joy beginning to form in his eyes. He made as if to walk over to her, but Aslan looked at him with a look of 'wait'.

Finally catching her breath, Susan tried to prop herself up on her elbow. The task was much more easily said than done, as she found herself to be incredibly weak and tired. Just as she was about to collapse back down, however, she felt a snout keeping her up.

Looking to see what her aid was, she smiled.

"Oh, Aslan," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. He laughed quietly, and let her hold on to him.

"How are you feeling, child?" he asked her, as she sat back on the grass.

"Much better, thanks. The last thing that I can recall is that awful poison…and how much it hurt," she said quietly, subconsciously touching her side.

"You are safe now," the lion smiled.

"I owe you my life, my king."

After a few quiet moments, Susan seemed to take note of her surroundings. Looking from side to side, she looked back at Aslan, an inquisitive look on her features.

"How did I get here, Aslan?"

"Ah," he started with a grin, "I believe you owe that to the gentleman standing behind you."

Turning around as quickly as her body would allow, Susan was met with a sight that made her heart soar. Caspian, her king and her love, stood there in all his glory. His eyes were glistened over with tears, as he beamed at her.

"Caspian," she breathed, feeling the tears begin to form in her own eyes.

He scrambled to her side, dropping to the ground, and taking her up in his powerful arms.

"The good king has hardly left your side during this whole ordeal," Aslan stated with a laugh, as Caspian cradled her in his lap. The duo looked up at their great king, happiness flowing out of every pore.

"Thank you, Aslan, from the bottom of both our hearts."

He smiled back at them, and then he was gone.

Turning his attention to Susan now, Caspian looked down at her face with as much love as he could express. She gazed back at him, feeling as awestruck and dazed by him as any teenage girl should be. Running her fingers along his jawline, she smiled.

"Thank you for all that you've done for me, Caspian," she whispered, choked with emotion.

"For you, my love, anything," he stated in the same whisper, taking her hand in his own. He brought it up to his lips, and slowly kissed the top of every finger, finishing off with a delicate press of his mouth to her palm.

"Come here," she breathed softly, taking both sides of his face in her hands. Craning her neck up, she brought his mouth to her own.

Their lips met in a searing kiss. The queen's arms went around her love's neck, one of her hands tangled up in his hair. He gently rolled them so that she was on top of him, bracing herself on either side of his head. His hands were on her waist, pressing her closer to him. He needed to feel her near, he needed to know that she wouldn't leave him again.

The raw energy that was embedded in their kiss was streaming into the weak Susan, giving her just enough energy to tell him how much she loved him.

His tongue gently slid across her bottom lip, causing all rational thought to fly out of her mind, as she gave him entrance. Caspian's mind was reeling. He could kiss this woman all day, if she wouldn't mind.

Eventually, their contact died down, and ended with Susan, dead tired on his chest. They laid there for a while, in the rain, Caspian tracing lazy circles around his queen's shoulder blades.

"Please don't ever leave me, carina," he said softly, burying his head in her hair.

"I never want to," she replied, muffled by his chest.

After just a few moments more, Caspian knew that the two of them had to get back to the castle.

"Come along, querida," he crooned, rubbing her back. He could sense that she was incredibly weak, as she struggled to get off of him.

Once more, he scooped her up in his strong arms, and carried her to his horse, smiling as she snuggled into him. His heart felt as if it could fly, almost as if a huge weight had been lifted off of it. As he helped her onto the horse, the full reality of what would've happened if Aslan hadn't helped them came crashing down on him. He could've lost her forever.

"Look at me, my beautiful queen, please," he whispered to her, reaching up to caress her arm.

She looked down at him, her tired face turning into a soft smile. Crystal blue met rich chocolate as their eyes met, but only for a brief moment, as Caspian dropped his head onto her knee.

Seeing that he was overwhelmed, she let him stay there for a moment, lovingly running her fingers through his hair. After a short time, he lifted his eyes to hers again, wide like a puppy's.

"I thought I had lost you," he said softly, very obviously shaken, "I never want to feel that way again." He was holding onto her now, almost as if he let her go, she would disappear.

"Caspian," she said, leaning down to cup his face in her hand, "I don't plan on giving you any reason to feel that way, alright?" She said, conviction placed in every word.

She then leaned down further, in order to plant a gentle kiss on the top of his head. He looked up at her again, a boyish smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. With no words left to say, he jumped onto the horse, bringing his arms around her to hold the reigns.

Feeling her wet hair tickle his face as they rode, Caspian was happier than he had ever been. Things were beginning to get better.

* * *

"How did I not think of this before?" Lucy questioned, dumbstruck, as she looked at the engraved lion on the back of her cordial. "I'm such an idiot."

"Don't beat yourself up about it Lu," Peter sighed, "None of us thought of it. The important thing is that someone did, right?"

"Yep," Edmund agreed.

The three of them and Caspian stood around Susan, who was fast asleep in one of the infirmary beds, exhausted. The announcement had been called off, and the tragedies as well as the drama that the past week had brought finally began to simmer down.

As the four of them sat and stared at their sister and love, an unspoken peace settled in the room. Minds were no longer frantic, questions no longer needed immediate answers, and hearts were no longer weighed down and heavy.

Caspian too sensed this peace, and it gave him the courage to do something that he hadn't planned on doing for a while.

"King Peter, may I have the pleasure of speaking with you, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy out on the terrace for a few moments?" All of them nodded silently, not wanting to wake their sister.

As the four of them walked out into the fresh air, Caspian could feel his pace quicken. The light showers that had covered the morning had dispersed, and now a warm sun came peeking through the breaking clouds.

"Please, sit," he asked the other three royals, gesturing towards a pair of benches sitting on the balcony.

Gulping down large quantities of air, he tried to calm his nerves as he remained standing amongst his fellow monarchs. _Aslan, give me strength._

"The past couple of weeks," he started once they were all seated, "have certainly made me think about many different things." _No turning back now, Caspian. Do this right._

"Before these past days, I understood what it was like to be worried about friends or colleagues. I knew what it was like to care deeply for someone, and to do just about anything to make sure that they were safe. But now…after this experience, I know so much more. I now know what it's like to be worried to the point of it being all you think about. I now know what it is like to care so passionately for someone that you're willing to lay down your own life to protect them. I now know what it's like…to love.

I've experienced love before, in many different forms, but none such as this. I loved my mother and father, I love my friends, and I love a nice sunny day. But now, I understand what it feels like to love someone like my mother and father loved each other. And that someone just happens to be your sister, Susan.

She is, bar none, the most incredible young woman I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. She's smart, beautiful, funny, talented, and she has a good head on her shoulders. I knew there was something different about her the moment that we met in the woods that day, and I believe I was right. During your first visit, I came to realize that your sister made me feel different than any girl ever has. She made me feel important, and that she actually wanted to listen to what I had to say. And the moment that you all left, back to England, I knew in my heart that I was doomed, never to find a woman that could compare to Susan.

And now, this time, I had to go on an adventure bigger than I ever thought was possible, in order to make sure that she was safe. And the strange part is, I desperately wanted to do it. I was prepared to risk it all, perhaps even forfeit my life, in order to keep her from harm. And in that moment on the battlefield, when harm was brought to her, I thought that a part of me had died as well. I never want to be without her.

But then, a miracle happened. She was brought back to the world, to me…as if it was a second chance. I nearly lost her once, and I never want to lose her again. If possible, I'd like to take this second chance that has been given to me, and run with it.

So," he took a deep breath, "I ask you today, Pevensie family, brothers and sister of Susan, high kings and queen of old, for your permission and your blessing to ask for your sister's hand in marriage."

* * *

Warm afternoon rays of sun streamed in through the large stained glass window near Susan's bed, casting colorful dots of light onto where she slept. A soft breeze danced in the trees, prompting the terrace doors to be opened.

As soon as a wisp of air came and lightly touched her cheek, her eyes fluttered open for the first time in a little over thirty six hours. Shifting her eyes around, she concluded that she was in the castle infirmary, and that there was no one with her.

Peeling the sheets back off of her, she sat up and swung her legs to the side, so that the tips of her toes were just barely touching the floor. Carefully, she eased herself off of the bed, leaning against it for support as she stood. To her pleasant surprise, she found that almost all of her strength had returned to her, and that she could stand and move around with ease.

Looking down at herself, she noticed that she was wearing her armor's undershirt, and some tight fitting pant-legging-type-things. Gathering her hair to one side, she walked slowly over to where the fresh air was entering the room. The bright sun caused her to wince slightly, but she walked out onto the terrace anyway.

She smiled as the sun and wind hit her at the same time, closing her eyes at the gentle contact. Meandering over to the stone railing, she set her elbows down, looking out at the kingdom.

She had only been there for a short while before she felt a pair of beautifully familiar hands came around her waist. She shivered slightly as a deliciously Hispanic voice snaked its way into her ear.

"I thought I might find you here, my queen," Caspian spoke softly, grinning at the wave of goosebumps that came across his love's neck.

She turned around to face him, bringing her arms across his neck. With a smile, she cocked her head to the side, and gently planted a kiss on his cheek. A mischievous grin played on his features as he took her hand in his.

"How long was I out?" she asked finally, playing with his fingers.

"Around a day and a half," he replied, his eyes creasing gently in a smile.

"Wow," she remarked, "no wonder why I feel so good!"

The two of them laughed, Caspian bringing his arm around her to pull her close to him. They stood that way for a while, until Susan piped up again.

"So, I'm dying to know what ended up happening with the battle that I missed the end of. Obviously, it went well…you're still here."

"Indeed," he said with a sigh, "everything went fairly well, aside from the obvious. In the end, it was a draw. There were casualties on both sides, but there were more significant ones on the enemy side."

"Oh? Such as?"

"Mainly the woman who put you through hell, darling."

Immediately, her eyes flicked up to his, widening in surprise.

"Scara?" A nod from Caspian.

There was a moment where Susan wasn't sure what to think. A part of her was glad that the woman who had caused her so much pain was gone, and that she couldn't hurt anyone anymore. But then there was a part of her that pitied the fallen knight. There was just something about her that convinced Susan that she wasn't completely black at heart.

She managed an easy smile toward the king, and looked back out across the landscape.

"Also…Lady Ethine."

She looked at him again, her brow knit in concern.

" Ethine? Dead? Oh, Caspian…I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be. If she were here right now, she would be on trial for high treason against the crown. She was working with Scara in order to get me, in exchange for the crown and most of my council positions."

She was speechless. She couldn't tell in her mind whose death caused more of an effect on her. She stayed silent, looking out into the village below. Caspian could sense her slight uneasiness, so he remained quiet with her. After a few moments, she turned around and buried her head in his chest.

"Well," she started after a short while, "I'm glad that you're safe."

"Likewise, querida," he said, resting his head on her own.

They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other's company, and soaking up the delights of each other's presence. Unbeknownst to Susan, while her king's one hand was around her waist, the other was in his coat pocket, gently palming a glittering ring.

"Susan," he said, after a few more moments of silence, "may I speak with you?"

"Of course," she said with a smile.

"Over these past couple of weeks, I realized how much you mean to me, and how much I need you in my life. When I nearly lost you, I felt as if I nearly lost a vital part of me. I cannot stand being without you, mi corazon. I want to be by your side for the rest of my life. I want to wake up every morning to your beautiful face. I want you, Queen Susan, to be mine for the rest of forever. So, with that being said," he knelt to the ground, pulling the ring from his coat, smiling at her hands flying to her mouth, eyes watering, "Susan Pevensie, Gentle Queen of Old, will you marry me?"

She couldn't manage any words. The events that she had been through in the past through weeks had all led up to this moment. The man before her made her positively weak at the knees. He had proven his love and devotion to her over and over through this entire experience, and all she could do was love him in return. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, and there was no way that she was letting this slip through her fingers.

She nodded to him, taking her hands off of her mouth, revealing her huge smile underneath. He beamed back at her, sliding the ring onto her finger. He stood up, ready to give her a hug, but she got there before him.

Taking advantage of her newfound strength, and the fact that she was wearing pants, she leapt into his arms, bringing her mouth crashing down on his own. His heart took flight as her fingers entangled themselves in his hair.

_With you, I am complete._

* * *

A few weeks later, Caspian found himself standing in front of a courtyard full of people, waiting for his beautiful bride to walk through the doors leading to the full garden. Aslan stood to his right, and Reepicheep and Glenstorm to his left.

He was much less nervous this time around, and this time, he couldn't wait to see his beautiful woman in white coming through the doors toward him.

A violin quartet began playing, prompting all who were in attendance to stand. The doors to the garden opened, revealing the high queen, linked arm in arm with her brother. She was easily the most beautiful thing that Caspian had ever seen.

She was dressed in a gorgeous white gown that started with a sweetheart neckline, and ended with a ballroom skirt. A sheer white veil covered her face, and trailed down to the bottom of her dress. Peter was at her side, looking happy as ever. The other two Pevensies walked behind them, each with a smile on their face.

When the four of them reached the altar, Susan gave quick hugs to all three of her siblings, before Peter handed her over to her groom. With a grin on both of their faces, Caspian took her hand, and knelt the two of them down before Aslan.

* * *

They were inching their way closer and closer to the end of the ceremony, the excitement beginning to build in not only the crowd, but in the couple at the altar as well.

"If there is anyone who can object with good reason to these two being wed, let him speak now," Aslan's eyes went across the garden. Not a single soul presented himself against them.

"Very well," he started again with a smile, "Now for the rings. Caspian, please present your ring for your bride."

With a grin, the king took the glittering diamond ring in his hand. She glowed back at him, as Caspian prepared to say what the lion prompted him to.

"Now, your majesty, repeat after me," Aslan started, but was unable to finish, as the doors to the garden crashed open in a burst of silver.

"Surprise," came an all too familiar voice.

* * *

_The Underground army raced back to the compound, battered and bruised. Their losses had been devastating, and death was just around the corner for the silver knight at the head of their cause. Ramirez had lied to the high king in saying that his commander was dead, but she was coming closer and closer to it, as the army moved quickly to get her help._

_ They finally reached the compound, rushing Scara in first before all her wounded soldiers. They took her to their head doctor, who got to work on her as soon as humanly possible. _

_ After hours of waiting, the doctor came out to address the masses. He stood on a table in the large central room, having to speak loudly over the waterfalls. He looked out at the vast sea of soldiers, generals, servants, and families, who were all looking to Scara to lead them. _

_ "It is with great pleasure that I am able to say that our beloved leader has been pulled back from the jaws of death. She is stable and resting now, and she will be able to be back with us very shortly."_

_ The crowd cheered, an audible sigh of relief passing through the room. It was then that General Ramirez, taking advantage of everyone already congregated, took the doctor's spot on the table. _

_ He was about to propose an idea that would disband the entirety of the Underground._

* * *

_She awoke with a start, looking around at her surroundings. She noticed that she was no longer on the battlefield, but rather, in a bed in the compound. Had they won?_

_ Clambering out of the bed, she found her silk robe on the bedpost. She shrugged it on, and began walking out of the medical wing. Just before she was out the door, however, she noticed her reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall._

_ With a gasp, she pushed long strands of silver hair out of her face so that she could come face to face with her new look. _

_ A long, vertical scar was beginning to form over her eye, starting from the middle of her forehead, and ending just below her cheekbone. She gently traced over it with the pad of her index finger, shuddering at the sensation. _

_ In a way, she liked it. It showed those around her that she was a warrior, and a fierce one at that. But she also hated it. It was now a permanent disfigurement of her face, making her look more fearsome than beautiful. _

_ Looking at her reflection for not a second more, she opened the doors of the medical wing, and headed out, in search of General Ramirez. _

_ While she was walking, the most curious of sights was there to greet her. Every single person who resided in the complex seemed to be packing their things, and readying their horses. Confused, she walked over to one of her soldier's sons, who was carefully putting all of his toys into a bag. _

_ "Jacob," she said, squatting down to his level, "what's going on?"_

_ "Miss Scara!" he said with delight, putting his arms around her neck, giving her a hug. She returned the favor with a smile. _

_ "Daddy said that the general thought it would be a good idea if everyone went and started lives away from here. He said that the General was tired of fighting. So we're leaving."_

_ Scara looked at him, no words able to be formed in her mouth. So instead, she smiled, and then bolted away, looking for Ramirez. _

_ She finally found him, helping some of her soldiers load their goods into a cart. _

_ "Ramirez," she called to him, causing both him and the soldiers to look at her. Upon seeing who it was, all of them bowed._

_ "Get up," she commanded of her general, dragging him by the hem of his shirt into an empty room._

_ "What the hell were you thinking?" she yelled at him, once they were alone, "Disbanding the Underground? There's still work to be done! Call everyone back! They aren't going anywhere unless I say so."_

_ "Scara…"_

_ "NO!" she screamed at him, "Call them back! Our job here isn't finished! Caspian cannot win! I won't allow it..." she was rambling now, her eyes ablaze towards her general._

_ "IT'S OVER, SCARA," he bellowed finally, silencing her, "The Underground is dead, and so is everything it stood for. If we remain here, we will be persecuted by the crown. You know this."_

_ He was met by silence._

_ "Our scouts report that Susan is alive. She and Caspian are to be wed under the next full moon, three days from now. Can't both Caspian and our people live in harmony? Can't we both be happy?"_

_ The entirety of her people left her that day, leaving her with only the shadows of the compound. She was truly alone._

* * *

Now, she stood in the doorway of Caspian's palace that led to the gardens. Looking around at the group of people that were gathered, she caught the eye of Susan, dressed all in white. She noticed a ring glittering brightly on her hand, causing her to grit her teeth.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," she said smoothly, walking slowly down the aisle.

Caspian automatically moved in front of his bride, protecting her. Aslan then moved forward, taking Scara by surprise.

"Scara Leon, daughter of Loex, go no further. I have seen your heart, and it is almost completely black, is it not?" She nodded, dumbstruck.

"In your mind, you want to slay my children. But in your heart, you feel more brokenhearted every time you take a life. In your deepest of secrets, you long to be loved. By your people, by your country, and by me. I know this. This is not who you truly are, but rather what the world has made you."

Scara had fallen to her knees already, overwhelmed by the truth that surrounded her. The rest of the crowd looked on in awe.

"I ask you now, Scara, to recognize that you have always been my daughter, and repent for your mistakes. I love you more than anyone ever could."

Now sitting in the middle of the aisle, the knight began to cry. She could feel the enormous weight of the world being lifted off of her shoulders, and all of her previous worries drift away from her. She knew that it was time to start again.

Tears glistening in her eyes, she got up, and knelt before the king and his bride. Susan, whose eyes had also become misted over with tears, took Scara's hand in her own, and stood her up. It was then that she threw her arms around the knight in an embrace. Letting her go, she turned to face Caspian, who extended his hand towards her. She took it with gratitude.

She then turned to Aslan, who gave her a quick smile, before glancing behind her. She turned around, and was met with a picture that she had only thought possible in her dreams.

There, standing in the doorway, was a much kinder looking Torin, his smile gleaming in the sunlight. The knight gasped, and then ran, without inhibition, towards him, jumping into his arms when she reached him.

With a smile, Aslan turned back to the couple at the altar, who had been waiting patiently.

"Susan, with this ring, I pledge my love, my devotion, and my life to you."

"Caspian, with this ring, I pledge my love, my devotion and my life to you," she echoed him, sliding the ring on his finger now.

"These rings will bind you for eternity. Love each other, care for each other, and become the rulers of Narnia that I have always wanted you to be…together. I, Aslan, high king of Narnia, declare you wed! Now Caspian, the crown."

Caspian, heart ablaze, carefully took the high queen's golden ivy crown in his hands, and gently placed it on her head as she knelt down before him.

"You may now kiss your queen," Aslan declared with a grin.

Taking her hands in his own, Caspian stood her up, and marveled at her. She was positively radiating. Tipping her chin up to his, he smiled before he pressed his mouth to hers. Fireworks exploded in his brain as she wrapped her arms around him. She was his.

The crowd cheered in the background, as the sun beamed down on them. Narnia had the queen it had always wanted, and Caspian had the girl that he could only dream of. Today was a very good day.

_Today, we begin our forever. _

**Author's note: YAAAAAAAAY! LAST CHAPTER! Haha. Yep, it's the last one alright. I can finally list this story as 'complete'. I'm excited. :) So. What did you guys think of the finale? I hope you liked it. I would love to hear what you all have to say about it, though. So yeah! Anyone have any ideas on what I should do next? Suggestions? Haha. Alright. Well, I have to go. Don't forget to give the review button some love, and I'll see you when I see you next. Thanks, guys!**

**~Gabby**


End file.
